tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76298808772760013402024-03-13T05:03:09.875-05:00GFF Postal HistoryThis is a working space for postal history research conducted by Rob Faux of the Genuine Faux Farm. I am most interested in material from the 1850-1875 period. In particular, I enjoy researching items that required postal agreements between nations to facilitate the mail. If material here is helpful to you in your own research, please let me know. If you see things that require corrections or that could be expanded upon, I appreciate feedback.Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.comBlogger235125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-57805640308928958222024-02-02T13:21:00.004-06:002024-02-02T13:21:47.677-06:00New Blog Location!<p></p><p>So - we're not done writing and sharing. Not by a long shot! Instead, we're looking to make some changes for the better. After over ten years of posts at this site, I am moving the Genuine Faux Farm blog!</p><p>You have three opportunities to subscribe. </p><p>1. The <a href="https://genuinefauxfarm.substack.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm</a> blog on Substack.</p><p>2. The <a href="https://postalhistorysunday.substack.com/" target="_blank">Postal History Sunday</a> blog on Substack</p><p>3. My writings under <a href="https://medium.com/@genuinefauxfarm" target="_blank">Rob Faux | Genuine Faux Farm</a> on Medium.</p><p>In each case, you can subscribe so you receive new articles in your email inbox each time a new article is released.</p><p>On
Substack, you can subscribe for free, but you will be asked if you will
make a pledge for a paid subscription. If you wish to have a free
subscription, select $0 for your pledge amount. You may, of course,
make a pledge amount if you feel inclined. If there seems to be
interest in that, I may turn on the paid subscription option - but there
will always be the opportunity to subscribe for free, even if I do
that.<br /></p><p>Medium, on the other hand, will not charge for a
subscription to my writings, but they will ask you to join Medium with a
paid subscription. This is not necessary to access my work, but you
may certainly opt to take a subscription if you like the service you see
there.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What's on each blog?</b></span></div><p><b>The Genuine Faux Farm blog on Substack</b></p><p>This
blog will be most like what I have produced on the Genuinely Faux blog (on Blogger/Blogspot) since 2008.
In fact, I have been moving the previous content over to Substack so
you can access older posts on the new site's archive. The only
difference is that I will not be putting Postal History Sunday material
in this blog. </p><p><b>The Postal History Sunday blog on Substack</b></p><p>The
weekly article where I share a hobby I enjoy is being given it's own
home. This will allow individuals who are only interested in PHS and
not the farm writings a place to go. However, if you are interested in
both, you can certainly subscribe to both.</p><p><b>Writings on Medium</b></p><p>I
am trying the Medium writing community for some of the more developed
writings I produce. For example, I will be sharing the PAN blogs I
write on Medium (and sometimes on Substack). Some of the better Postal
History Sundays or Walk There Agains may also show up. I anticipate an
average of four to six blogs on Medium per month. And, yes, there may
be some cross-posting between Medium and Substack.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Why subscribe?</span></b></p><p>I will give you one reason for you and one reason for me.</p><p>If
you subscribe to any or all of these three choices, you will receive
new articles in your email inbox. You don't have to remember the web
address for the blogs. You don't have to open up any other software.
You don't have to rely on unreliable social media to show you posts from
me that tell you I have something new out there to read.</p><p>And, the
advantage for me is that I get a little feedback and encouragement to
keep writing and sharing that writing with you. If there are ten,
twenty, fifty or one hundred of you subscribed to a particular blog,
then I know at least that many people will truly be given the
opportunity to choose to read each article if they wish. </p>As always, I thank you for considering my words and thoughts. Have a fine remainder of your day! Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-37079046610669664952024-01-28T05:30:00.189-06:002024-01-28T11:54:10.615-06:00Tell 'em Where to Go - Postal History Sunday<p>Welcome to Postal History Sunday! I hope you take
the opportunity to enjoy learning something new - or at least you like
to be entertained by a person who thoroughly enjoys their hobby. Either
way, this isn't a half bad way to spend a few moments of your day.</p><p>In this edition, I wanted to revisit the topic of dockets on postal history items. The last time I did so, Postal History Sunday was only a few months old. I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two since then.<br /></p><p>So, let's get to it!</p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">What's a "Docket?"</span></b></span></p><p>Postal
historians and postal history collectors often reference docketing on
various mail pieces, which can take various forms. Docketing would be
some sort of handwriting on the letter or piece of mail that typically provides record-keeping functions for the recipient OR directives to
the postal services.</p><p>And, of course, postal historians are usually more interested in the directives - but the record keeping can provide useful clues too. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XVZ-CvU8jGVNP5nPS4i32H2W2xRQ1BcgHwdTKmeP3nSTWco6j8DFwrqPLGleJVKKGiYo_BVJ6-seAYKXWEfsHWmUNMke4_g5WYsXrNW-rqQVMBgD2umVY6ucNHaPoOp3-z51WMAmqRI/s1644/toolateny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1644" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XVZ-CvU8jGVNP5nPS4i32H2W2xRQ1BcgHwdTKmeP3nSTWco6j8DFwrqPLGleJVKKGiYo_BVJ6-seAYKXWEfsHWmUNMke4_g5WYsXrNW-rqQVMBgD2umVY6ucNHaPoOp3-z51WMAmqRI/w640-h368/toolateny.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />For example, the item above shows lots and LOTS of docketing. <p>The
writing that runs sideways on the left side of the envelope would be
filing notes by the recipient. George Atkinson, Esq, a lawyer by trade,
probably did what many at the time did - they filed documents and
stored them in the envelope they came in. To provide for easy
reference, they recorded the date and origin of the contents, a brief
summary AND the date the letter was received in their office (May 9,
1866). It just so happens this date matches the London marking showing
in red towards the top.</p><p>This method of filing is part of the
reason postal historians have as much material to collect as they do.
It also explains why many of the same addressees keep showing up on
these pieces of mail. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-9tDAe6ARP87OlgUY1OAqeRbKjcwhlAqMhQC4Gw3_Y8BCatDKXoAAcGBg-DtkTiNdCIbK99cC1pdDAfHc4TJW5V8Zk0SVohR_NOfVTFGKlOr9LaXxX3VFxTNMJD7XBkYt8nyvVsxcV8hKs8R1Lk2VZZfBnVm8hiSI5rsYsToEzMgr57lJzJZK5uqjSSl/s551/toolatenydocketsteamer.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="551" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-9tDAe6ARP87OlgUY1OAqeRbKjcwhlAqMhQC4Gw3_Y8BCatDKXoAAcGBg-DtkTiNdCIbK99cC1pdDAfHc4TJW5V8Zk0SVohR_NOfVTFGKlOr9LaXxX3VFxTNMJD7XBkYt8nyvVsxcV8hKs8R1Lk2VZZfBnVm8hiSI5rsYsToEzMgr57lJzJZK5uqjSSl/s320/toolatenydocketsteamer.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The other handwriting on the front of
this letter includes the address AND some directional docketing at the
lower left. This docket reads:</p><p style="text-align: center;">"<i>per Cunard Steamer Asia from Boston April 25</i>"</p><p>At
least - that's what the writer was hoping when they mailed the letter.
It turns out - if you read the New York marking in red at the right
side - that it left New York on April 28 on a steamer that was NOT the <i>Asia</i>. </p><p>We'll get back to that in a bit!</p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Success and Failure in Directional Dockets</span></b></span></p><p>If
you look long enough, you can find all kinds of docketing on the mail
that clearly was meant to try to direct the post office with varying
degrees of success. Take the item below for example.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhjIkZcR3XfEA6veZTuu5vMrcHHkhYUrOS5HEVBWqScRQ1A4FfCzE1fZjmYLO7yhbu3B00MsZl5eg0ILhL1YLiYRemHpYF5iVo1CpYmo7C_22zF5af60xvLu3gAzUoviehamSS3qSynU/s1570/bosbrpktcover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1570" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhjIkZcR3XfEA6veZTuu5vMrcHHkhYUrOS5HEVBWqScRQ1A4FfCzE1fZjmYLO7yhbu3B00MsZl5eg0ILhL1YLiYRemHpYF5iVo1CpYmo7C_22zF5af60xvLu3gAzUoviehamSS3qSynU/w640-h347/bosbrpktcover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Other than the address panel at the center of the envelope, there is a very brief docket at the top left.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX_c3wJ22ReOu86EQk3UOfvansAC4JXS_NFcP1s_hos65NQIYTkO6qAPT2MtAHliyCvncvvdYd4s7gdz53Yzus_nNz42Uh58kLGmsslsWlm4poILayH71Ych-3Yf9qguZ2-2j4ynC-KSbga_TSqeG01rWgYf44O0YdesX_S3HTL_TLMh8qHeE_LMO-dTP/s270/worcesterbaconpersteamer.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="86" data-original-width="270" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX_c3wJ22ReOu86EQk3UOfvansAC4JXS_NFcP1s_hos65NQIYTkO6qAPT2MtAHliyCvncvvdYd4s7gdz53Yzus_nNz42Uh58kLGmsslsWlm4poILayH71Ych-3Yf9qguZ2-2j4ynC-KSbga_TSqeG01rWgYf44O0YdesX_S3HTL_TLMh8qHeE_LMO-dTP/w400-h127/worcesterbaconpersteamer.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>The docket "<i>per Steamer</i>" at the top left could have meant one of three things. </p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>There was more than one option for mail to go from Worcester to Boston</li><li>The writer thought there was some other option than a steamship to cross the Atlantic</li><li>The writer just wanted to write "per Steamer" on the envelope</li></ol><p>I
can tell you that Worcester is just west of Boston and there are
no rivers that would have had steamers plying between the two
locations. I am pretty certain a train or a coach carried the letter to
the Boston foreign mail office. So, it wasn't the first option.</p><p>I am ALSO quite certain that the
letter rode on a steamship (a Cunard Line ship) to cross the Atlantic.
In fact, there really wasn't another way that mail would do so at the
time. So, you could argue that the person who wrote this wasted ink on
the docket. That would be option three.<br /></p><p>In their defense, it had not been that many years that
steamships were the primary mode of transportation across the sea.
The person writing could very well remember the days that most
ships went by sail, not steam engine. They might even have experienced a
time when you would WANT to indicate that you wanted it to go by a
steamship rather than one that went under sail and you had to say so on
your letter.<br /></p><p>The item below, shows some successful direction given by a docket:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIV3R6TZL6TYMYDB25CTPhQuh9AEY8lzeUBCPNVm7x7mTXEVP1Sx_iosSZnV7ggFdRC77Fc8B3swYLfbBaH7twU5h5JKtG4YjmU1ImhNaxfFJN8GTzByRONwLcoFRnHD2QA_ZhQQfs1C8/s1614/westcoast5cnt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1614" height="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIV3R6TZL6TYMYDB25CTPhQuh9AEY8lzeUBCPNVm7x7mTXEVP1Sx_iosSZnV7ggFdRC77Fc8B3swYLfbBaH7twU5h5JKtG4YjmU1ImhNaxfFJN8GTzByRONwLcoFRnHD2QA_ZhQQfs1C8/w640-h405/westcoast5cnt.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The words "<i>via Panama</i>"
very clearly directed the post office in San Francisco to put it on a
steamer that would go down the Pacific coast to Panama. The letter then would
go overland at the isthmus and then board another steamer to New York from
the eastern shore of the isthmus. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMI62XyhaiLeW6nMQKP5QDyAXldp-vwqer_tABQM2cpSIrsERm9jfg6vDOYotBs0nPZ3NkdQV2_BPegsnc7UN-qfeZpUzJKKYoZl_mtA1ZP3saA-XW_NfrrwB1kZr8YJm81A9zMFD1vF-gchZjXekxwtJt9wMWuyd7gotdCFa2SPtPAPprjLTUby6DU-Ok/s718/westcoast5ctviapanamadocket.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="718" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMI62XyhaiLeW6nMQKP5QDyAXldp-vwqer_tABQM2cpSIrsERm9jfg6vDOYotBs0nPZ3NkdQV2_BPegsnc7UN-qfeZpUzJKKYoZl_mtA1ZP3saA-XW_NfrrwB1kZr8YJm81A9zMFD1vF-gchZjXekxwtJt9wMWuyd7gotdCFa2SPtPAPprjLTUby6DU-Ok/w400-h89/westcoast5ctviapanamadocket.png" width="400" /></a> <br /></div><p></p><p>In this case, there were a couple of routing alternatives. The default route was for letter mail to go overland in 1863 since overland routes were in use at that time from California. So, if a letter writer
preferred the steamship via Panama, they had to indicate that
preference as this person did here.</p><p></p><p>The question is, of course,
"<i>why did this person want this to go on the slower route?</i>" We may never
know this answer for certain. But, perhaps the sender had heard enough
about mail coach robberies that they did not want to risk that with
this mail item? Maybe there was a known weather issue that was going to
delay overland mail? Or perhaps, they were aware of uncertainties with respect to conflict with Native Americans along the mail route?</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKp9p5ZevtmFHRmliWGn1LeEKg2H7uqiw1Y-AXoM3y0fTqbGX6rFIJL1HYdQ1RCOLtrT40py1Ty8jxojcIGuDslO4NZPeTWkodLaiJT41glX3yXZnbozvJI_j-woYkgsgMPcIn-mRACo_y7Av-NpDHeNuVX8RxkMG1OODjkn01LDQ3jhgXBBuljmaP82SM/s651/OverlandmailcoachattackedAnnRonancollectionca1867woodcut.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="651" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKp9p5ZevtmFHRmliWGn1LeEKg2H7uqiw1Y-AXoM3y0fTqbGX6rFIJL1HYdQ1RCOLtrT40py1Ty8jxojcIGuDslO4NZPeTWkodLaiJT41glX3yXZnbozvJI_j-woYkgsgMPcIn-mRACo_y7Av-NpDHeNuVX8RxkMG1OODjkn01LDQ3jhgXBBuljmaP82SM/w400-h261/OverlandmailcoachattackedAnnRonancollectionca1867woodcut.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unattributed woodcut, circa 1867 - Ann Ronan collection<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The <a href="https://johnhutchingsmuseum.org/the-bear-river-massacre/" target="_blank">Bear River Massacre</a> in January of 1863 was one such event that led to tensions that impacted the mail route near Salt Lake City. An incident involving US soldiers harassing Native American women and injuring members of the Goshute led to an armed conflict. The Goshute, after losing that conflict, swore revenge on the "bluecoats" (a reference to the soldier's uniforms). Unfortunately, <a href="https://johnhutchingsmuseum.org/attack-on-the-mailcoach/" target="_blank">they identified mail coach drivers</a> as bluecoats and killed both men on a mail coach early on June 10th.<p></p><p>However, other than a short period in 1862, overland mails were not halted due to conflict. They might have been delayed at point along the route if sections were impassible for a time. So, it was entirely up to the sender to weigh the risk of possible delay. If they wanted to apply a docket telling the US Post Office to take the route via Panama, they could do so.<br /></p><p>Whatever the case, this is a time when the
directive was followed - even if it was going to result in slower
transit of the mail item. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94fXQZFfz2P_O53v98QrIKNOVUhcQQrR2E91GqYpwZjnua5jUTBKG45z4-IhU-BiobxxG10UkE_1_uYTiD06EP_jPOUYQgN-ET36rpD6-1poC9WHZWK25QJ5JVkoxN200bl4PHkgMLdA/s1629/niceshadetoengland.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1629" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94fXQZFfz2P_O53v98QrIKNOVUhcQQrR2E91GqYpwZjnua5jUTBKG45z4-IhU-BiobxxG10UkE_1_uYTiD06EP_jPOUYQgN-ET36rpD6-1poC9WHZWK25QJ5JVkoxN200bl4PHkgMLdA/w640-h365/niceshadetoengland.tif" width="640" /></a></div><p>And here is another successful routing docket (look at the top left). This one reads "<i>by the Persia Aug 24 in New York.</i>"
Unfortunately for the postal historian (me), there are no contents in
the letter and there is no originating postmark, so I cannot tell for
certain where this item was mailed from in the United States. Clearly,
it DID go through New York and it DID leave on a ship from New York on
August 24 (yes, it was the <i>Persia</i>). So, you could say that the docket worked - it went where the writer wanted it to go.</p><p>However, it is likely that this letter would have taken this particular ship from New York whether the docket was placed on the envelope or not! <br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Did They Need Dockets by the 1860s?</b></span></p><p>By
the time we get to letters in the 1860s, the need for writers to
include directional docketing had been greatly reduced - though there
were times when it was still necessary. As far as mail from the United
States to England goes, the postal service had a pretty good system for
getting letters to the earliest departing steamship or identifying the quickest route - there was very
little a directional docket would do that would improve that.</p><p>As
long as the letter above was mailed on time for that New York departure,
it was probably going to take the earliest departing ship even without the
docket.</p><p>But, the letter below might actually have a somewhat useful docket.... maybe.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5xYkRPXgRfZ-V4V6DbfN_ApA3Z0zM9aX0UQzQtT74YoEZ5KHmvMrMSw64pNW-bLOCeE9Q5GiC4GAIejedMhCJsY3NCeMP68KCGdJEFUzj7mxQCzDp-zGVxi6dVtpocMxyEDyVH6J48A/s787/canadalv.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="787" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5xYkRPXgRfZ-V4V6DbfN_ApA3Z0zM9aX0UQzQtT74YoEZ5KHmvMrMSw64pNW-bLOCeE9Q5GiC4GAIejedMhCJsY3NCeMP68KCGdJEFUzj7mxQCzDp-zGVxi6dVtpocMxyEDyVH6J48A/w640-h373/canadalv.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /></div><p>The
docket "via Liverpool" at top left could be construed as a directive to
put the letter on one of the shipping lines that went through Liverpool
- but it actually did more than that. You see, the Cunard Line would
stop at Cork, Ireland, and offload mail for England there. That mail would then
go by rail, cross the water from Kingston to Holyhead, and then on to
London by rail. </p><p>Because this item was headed to Scotland, the
writer indicated that it should stay on the ship until it got to
Liverpool the next day. From there it would go to Glasgow.</p><p>But,
again, there is a question as to exactly how useful the docket might be
because the mail volume to the United Kingdom was sufficient that mail
to Scotland could have been placed into its own mailbag. If that were
the case, it would take the most efficient route to Scotland without
needing the docket. </p><p>Once more, this is a case where we see mail
handling in the process of change. Dockets that were once critical in
directing the mail were becoming less important as the amount
of mail increased and the mail sorting and routing procedures become more refined.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Back to the Original Cover<br /></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XVZ-CvU8jGVNP5nPS4i32H2W2xRQ1BcgHwdTKmeP3nSTWco6j8DFwrqPLGleJVKKGiYo_BVJ6-seAYKXWEfsHWmUNMke4_g5WYsXrNW-rqQVMBgD2umVY6ucNHaPoOp3-z51WMAmqRI/s1644/toolateny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1644" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XVZ-CvU8jGVNP5nPS4i32H2W2xRQ1BcgHwdTKmeP3nSTWco6j8DFwrqPLGleJVKKGiYo_BVJ6-seAYKXWEfsHWmUNMke4_g5WYsXrNW-rqQVMBgD2umVY6ucNHaPoOp3-z51WMAmqRI/w400-h230/toolateny.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Here we are - back at the original item with the docket claiming the letter should go to Boston and leave on the Cunard Steamer <i>Asia</i> on April 25 (Wednesday). But, clearly, it left New York on a steamer that Saturday (April 28).</p><p>The
reason for the delay is simple. The writer did not make it to the post
office in time to get the mail to Boston and the departure of the
Asia. The post office simply sent the item to New York, where the next
ship was scheduled to sail across the Atlantic.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXo2XLs0WBH3tWGD81idTeqs-Hhky1g-2zJjfplzx3R6w6ZLgXeK51krN3NQ9GGsdezQ_yaakrwlbHUijLpyJ2UaeSOLz68DszTQJ1sadTst0gjvUcA-ApGBoQq9cAou0iAhEEeurUWriUEGnL09hI9l_duQ1IeYvZahEIqFIj8IEEUpzS61KRg4mwp4e5/s434/TooLateMarking3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="81" data-original-width="434" height="60" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXo2XLs0WBH3tWGD81idTeqs-Hhky1g-2zJjfplzx3R6w6ZLgXeK51krN3NQ9GGsdezQ_yaakrwlbHUijLpyJ2UaeSOLz68DszTQJ1sadTst0gjvUcA-ApGBoQq9cAou0iAhEEeurUWriUEGnL09hI9l_duQ1IeYvZahEIqFIj8IEEUpzS61KRg4mwp4e5/s320/TooLateMarking3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>But, here is the
problem for the post office. The writer makes a claim by saying the
letter was to leave Boston on April 25. The post office provides
themselves evidence that it is not THEIR problem by putting the "Too
Late" marking on the envelope. "Hey, George Atkinson. I don't care
what the guy who wrote this says - he didn't get it to us in time for
that ship. Take it up with him!"</p><p>This illustrates a bit more
about why dockets were still routinely placed on letters. It could
often serve as an attempt to provide evidence of timeliness during an era
when it took ten to twelve days to cross the Atlantic - and a missed
ship could add three more days to the wait! </p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bonus Docket Fun!</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1w87IBEB-DElBYwG3LMdNoSEJ9v8g-k8aK9SO1Qh6eE9ysNbasa-ZG92GAPTFuCpWjLjOKrBjgQ0Bvvq38Aw3hRRl-QwD4dXMTFmSxKlA9iGiHrfXY9emaXFbKSJjshbqheiae8MuzcQuwu4sTx0Ivy8o5b1GGvobC0ghN6orfsa8VCKbyCfFE0FNl7_X/s1580/overland3cent.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1580" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1w87IBEB-DElBYwG3LMdNoSEJ9v8g-k8aK9SO1Qh6eE9ysNbasa-ZG92GAPTFuCpWjLjOKrBjgQ0Bvvq38Aw3hRRl-QwD4dXMTFmSxKlA9iGiHrfXY9emaXFbKSJjshbqheiae8MuzcQuwu4sTx0Ivy8o5b1GGvobC0ghN6orfsa8VCKbyCfFE0FNl7_X/w640-h332/overland3cent.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>I thought it might be interesting show a docket that was placed on an envelope that instructed a letter to take the overland route to California. Unlike the prior example, this envelope was traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlU355y2oEXVLja7SHvqZZeFOn6GdVtGd0dJqlDgoX_m3M7Wzg3W3BFR3dvoaMz77MKHWU36MY_WorDLxeXBMWwBEdsiSJyHfhHVPyttgdNRb_b2MWdEq3hL6-FoZPIW4kmoF1hntTDQs6sfvqAiDY7EWylCRJae1mICKUdfHPTq29wHDj1fB4r6O5c3J/s821/overlanddocket.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="821" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlU355y2oEXVLja7SHvqZZeFOn6GdVtGd0dJqlDgoX_m3M7Wzg3W3BFR3dvoaMz77MKHWU36MY_WorDLxeXBMWwBEdsiSJyHfhHVPyttgdNRb_b2MWdEq3hL6-FoZPIW4kmoF1hntTDQs6sfvqAiDY7EWylCRJae1mICKUdfHPTq29wHDj1fB4r6O5c3J/w400-h89/overlanddocket.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Yes... that says "overland." I recognize that these scrawls can be difficult to decipher sometimes, even if you know cursive handwriting. I have to admit that it helps if you know what sorts of words are likely to be put on an envelope for a docket. For example, letters traveling across the United States are likely to have dockets that say "overland," "steamer," or "Panama" if there is going to be a directional docket during the 1860s.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41xcljbmBL4asf3RIWS1gseSHC_okwM2Z_W13IjnHLB8ECz9f7WN7fopLsGHsXx86oQorWCJT4d61_SU9fvy1Q5xetjltK6NXJ_8ERD8zqRoPSpm6QPb-7MXdXmxCJ5v40iyEc4mSM7Bj5-ZZzDC5eXdtNS6qgTluGU6YqYJlW6gIWmjRNBbxxNIcaMIh/s1880/img080.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1880" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41xcljbmBL4asf3RIWS1gseSHC_okwM2Z_W13IjnHLB8ECz9f7WN7fopLsGHsXx86oQorWCJT4d61_SU9fvy1Q5xetjltK6NXJ_8ERD8zqRoPSpm6QPb-7MXdXmxCJ5v40iyEc4mSM7Bj5-ZZzDC5eXdtNS6qgTluGU6YqYJlW6gIWmjRNBbxxNIcaMIh/w640-h362/img080.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>This triple weight letter, with nine cents in postage also has a docket on the right hand side of the envelope. It is oriented so it reads sideways, which is often a signal to me that this is probably a docket applied by the recipient for filing. Of course, this is not always true, but it is a rule of thumb that has seemed to make sense for material during this time period.</p><p>If it is a filing docket, you can often expect names, dates and place names. Frequently, there might be reference to legal materials that were contents or were referenced by the contents of the letter. This time, I believe the docket reads "vouchers." Of course, if someone sees it differently, feel fee to disagree!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDMPOY8LqmYns8qQCoLRLogp6l3CbZJckEQTvMUMTIaPewUj89dYF11ou-fIMnMVH5k14OSUn0bdhaB-4aObgWy2iPNTw80q9aS0s8HeDWffRnBOG_lJVjHHjqiyaaY9xXdXQo4O2cxuuyDYHjUdy_BJw_SGCG9ejSRHXh3Epp7HE_IyhF8ILp4tb_qPO/s1421/docketClimax.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="1421" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDMPOY8LqmYns8qQCoLRLogp6l3CbZJckEQTvMUMTIaPewUj89dYF11ou-fIMnMVH5k14OSUn0bdhaB-4aObgWy2iPNTw80q9aS0s8HeDWffRnBOG_lJVjHHjqiyaaY9xXdXQo4O2cxuuyDYHjUdy_BJw_SGCG9ejSRHXh3Epp7HE_IyhF8ILp4tb_qPO/w640-h380/docketClimax.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I think I will close with a favorite docket of mine. In this case, we could argue that this is not so much a docket as it is part of the address. Frankly, I wouldn't be upset either way because my need to call it a docket is secondary.</p><p>This letter was mailed from Grand Rapids to Galesburgh, Michigan in Kalamazoo County. The addressee actually lived closer to a small town outside of Galesburgh. The docket reads "Please forward to Climax with Daily Mail." You can learn more about this particular item in a Postal History Sunday titled <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-rural-burden-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">The Rural Burden</a>, if you have interest.</p><p>I hope you enjoyed today's entry. Have a great remainder day and a fine week to come.</p><p>------------------</p><p>Thank you for joining me this week. I hope you have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p><p></p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-54679008859093446542024-01-21T05:30:00.518-06:002024-01-21T05:30:00.130-06:00Carried Away Some More - Postal History Sunday<p>Winter has very much arrived and made itself welcome at the Genuine Faux Farm. After a late start, we've had multiple snows, strong winds, and some bitter cold. All in a period of a couple of weeks. </p><p>One of the myths that I tell myself about the cold weather is that I'll get to spend more time with the postal history hobby I enjoy. It's a good story, at least, that helps me tolerate trudging out to the laying hens in wind chills of thirty below. But the reality is that there are often more, not fewer trips, out to deal with farm chores. And while I spend less time outside per trip, I probably spend much more time putting on the proper clothing to do the work.</p><p>So, this week for Postal History Sunday, I thought I would let myself be carried away some more by carrier covers - all in an effort to forget, if only for a short while, that I have to go collect more eggs before they freeze!</p><p>And, before we get into it, it should be noted that the carrier fee to the mails were removed on July 1, 1863. Since I enjoy studying items with postage stamps bearing the 1861 US design (issued in August 1861), you will find most of the covers shown today will be dated between August of 1861 through June of 1863. I'll leave it to other folks to show earlier and later items if they wish!<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC800F10_PZCmJmeVcJuAQr7betUNMh2am43qm0q_JS2iGABmnp_6nvVYiJFvWDG1wBSvCIh-xD-hXFQx87vM6byUlF2Y1v2_7h8FbmBPHzbfpQWB-3DkSjuX1LV169dFMo-QJVvVT6owIxm-VOZPeWVRIxUCic5oQyyltDpHiv0xCOaxrquCwFQKt_Lwj/s1579/carrier7ctdoubleratePhiladelphia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1579" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC800F10_PZCmJmeVcJuAQr7betUNMh2am43qm0q_JS2iGABmnp_6nvVYiJFvWDG1wBSvCIh-xD-hXFQx87vM6byUlF2Y1v2_7h8FbmBPHzbfpQWB-3DkSjuX1LV169dFMo-QJVvVT6owIxm-VOZPeWVRIxUCic5oQyyltDpHiv0xCOaxrquCwFQKt_Lwj/w640-h356/carrier7ctdoubleratePhiladelphia.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">The letter carrier fee "to the mails"</span></b></p><p>Just <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2024/01/carried-away-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">two weeks ago</a>, I focused on carrier letters that showed the one cent fee to pay a US mail carrier to collect the letter from an individual or a letter box and take it to the post office. A small number of the larger cities in the United States provided this service in the 1850s into the 1860s, but their number was increasing as the postal services grew to accommodate the increased volume in mail. </p><p>Persons who are interested in this topic can find examples of a US postage stamp paying the one cent carrier fee from larger cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn and Cleveland. And it should be noted that this fee was for a carrier employed by the US Post Office. There were, at the time, competing private carrier services in some locations as well. </p><p>Shown above is an envelope that must have weighed more than 1/2 ounce. The letter rate for a domestic letter within the United States was 3 cents per 1/2 ounce in weight and this letter bears two 3-cent stamps at the top right to pay that postage. On the left is a 1-cent stamp to pay the Philadelphia carrier fee to the mails. That extra penny paid for a US letter carrier to either pick it up from the sender or from one of the post boxes in the city. That carrier would then take it to the post office where it could be prepared to go with the rest of the mail bound for Boston.</p><p>This particular item illustrates the difference between a "rate" and a "fee." Letters could be sent at the rate of 3 cents per 1/2 ounce. For an extra fee of one cent, a letter carrier in Philadelphia could bring the letter to the post office for the person wishing to mail the letter. So, even though this letter weighed over 1/2 ounce, the carrier fee did not double like the postage amount did. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTq7yZMbXPRtwp7JHOYw12iLMSH9ArK5jeycy4mHi2QBeqllT1ETOuXzNTEVyasxSaLdgLhwkWoktwHAmHddH4We6a9Y2MuVxaCKwIV37ecZ1P1V6-SttIWGuUa5IZAeNQQHHZVV73pYwUwzImnL-gCM4xG-etWFkqN3tlNkHc5P7YPiraLhELBhyphenhyphenVkn5/s1044/newyork1ctcarrierb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="1044" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTq7yZMbXPRtwp7JHOYw12iLMSH9ArK5jeycy4mHi2QBeqllT1ETOuXzNTEVyasxSaLdgLhwkWoktwHAmHddH4We6a9Y2MuVxaCKwIV37ecZ1P1V6-SttIWGuUa5IZAeNQQHHZVV73pYwUwzImnL-gCM4xG-etWFkqN3tlNkHc5P7YPiraLhELBhyphenhyphenVkn5/w640-h360/newyork1ctcarrierb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Carrier to the mails and delivery in New York City<br /></b></span></p><p>The small envelope shown above is an example of a letter that was taken to the mails by a letter carrier and carried to the addressee by a letter carrier. We can deduce that it was likely delivered because the address panel includes details for the location of Mary G. Ambler at Number 25 on West 23rd Street. And, in case that was not enough, there is a docket at bottom left that reads "3 doors from V Avenue Hotel," which is likely referencing the very new Fifth Avenue Hotel that had recently been completed 1859). A letter that was going to be held at the post office for the recipient to pick up typically would not include a detailed location.</p><p>This letter took advantage of the one-cent carrier fee that paid for pick up and delivery of letter mail within New York City. We can determine this is the case both because there is a one-cent stamp paying the postage and there is a postal marking that is known to indicate this carrier service at the time. A tracing of this marking (with a different date) is shown below:<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoQclGyN2z6mae00Tto6mqLP0fSHDtcXytZfi6ueZEO4KSvlQEiTa9tHX62O4Wbe_C3p9scG5-7Rti1o5lxJy0QDIgv7wguvzgn0VZMqrqgNChom7jC34NMcb40yfio3BI7xXFmYNy4TG7-Nhp_mBiuLv6anJM5mX1zz_83TXnzP84xYw-CHk6tKuQ76W/s210/pmcr11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="199" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoQclGyN2z6mae00Tto6mqLP0fSHDtcXytZfi6ueZEO4KSvlQEiTa9tHX62O4Wbe_C3p9scG5-7Rti1o5lxJy0QDIgv7wguvzgn0VZMqrqgNChom7jC34NMcb40yfio3BI7xXFmYNy4TG7-Nhp_mBiuLv6anJM5mX1zz_83TXnzP84xYw-CHk6tKuQ76W/s1600/pmcr11.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><p></p><p>Now, before I go much further, I want to point out that a cover with a one-cent stamp alone does not necessarily indicate carrier services. It's the combination of the one-cent stamp with this particular marking that confirms it for us. However, there are other situations that might call for a single one-cent stamp on a cover.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_P2DpkzS2e5MqufurvcbzD6I3R9BkL_jOZK63izwGI9PU4SFiUM1QmDoGcjrTY8dlTZF8kyCIrMtL0LNuVNK1gwzODAFJsqrJ_WVjrWamlr9Zzzz97evqQ5L8QwzPQY1eBSlxpBNdikwg1yHQL6eVYMDgvLwIekVjZnpRjK0_JCMFDyFMexP57DLsBgg/s1269/dropgettysburg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1269" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_P2DpkzS2e5MqufurvcbzD6I3R9BkL_jOZK63izwGI9PU4SFiUM1QmDoGcjrTY8dlTZF8kyCIrMtL0LNuVNK1gwzODAFJsqrJ_WVjrWamlr9Zzzz97evqQ5L8QwzPQY1eBSlxpBNdikwg1yHQL6eVYMDgvLwIekVjZnpRjK0_JCMFDyFMexP57DLsBgg/w640-h386/dropgettysburg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>The small letter shown above is good example. The postmark on the stamp is for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the letter is addressed to the same location. Gettysburg did not have a US postal carrier at the time, so there is no way this paid for those services. On the other hand, there was a one-cent rate for letters dropped at the post office that were also intended to be picked up at the post office - just as this one was.<br /></p><p>So, the take-away here is that we also need to know that the post office in a given town or city actually employed letter carriers before we can consider the possibility of a carrier fee on a cover.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cstHtFkDmph_996WIj67S2jGaIRopEEFip_EjUa4o6gqi9ydvQb47ABgvvQfw6vDrhbJwj2pKZsvay6Tqz_mVpPxMso97nFqxiBWspMvlf4Y9fx5U4rnjF59EZo5HQvqvsyIJwWQMzd8A_dNhDUGtzCfcU64xkjN1oprgIe98MNNqIQbknJ6TdZZn_j6/s1588/carriercanada.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1588" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cstHtFkDmph_996WIj67S2jGaIRopEEFip_EjUa4o6gqi9ydvQb47ABgvvQfw6vDrhbJwj2pKZsvay6Tqz_mVpPxMso97nFqxiBWspMvlf4Y9fx5U4rnjF59EZo5HQvqvsyIJwWQMzd8A_dNhDUGtzCfcU64xkjN1oprgIe98MNNqIQbknJ6TdZZn_j6/w640-h362/carriercanada.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Some were destined to leave the United States</span></b></p><p>The one-cent fee for carriage to the mails was independent of the postage rate, as we saw with our first example. But, let's drive that point home a bit further.</p><p>Shown above is a letter mailed in Philadelphia and destined to Canada. The postage rate for a simple letter from the US to Canada was ten cents at the time. And, sure enough, there is a green ten-cent postage stamp at the right paying the cost for that rate. </p><p>This is the part where you say, "Hey! There's a one-cent stamp on there too. Philadelphia had letter carriers. I bet this is an example of carrier service to the mails too!" And the good news is, you would be correct. Good job!</p><p>An extra penny of postage paid beyond the required postage rate, in addition to the knowledge that there were carriers picking up mail in a given city, makes a strong case for the carrier fee. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4pqdwBtJhkElSEPawtGW6gFaL_qeUMcBRtYVz5dtGgM-5uJCtG5YeR98kDCnIDiUhpsBOmLcD1wEGyFsLVeMtM2XoFIP3ZKq9NHRXiYN5wsPTNaHkLZczuLh5bt26Q8E-V1TakjLKVEMVTQ1L3zkGs0qqTxo9wkpxFKrriDmBKKc7kf0jlsENhmKtZxH/s1606/bluecarrier.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1606" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4pqdwBtJhkElSEPawtGW6gFaL_qeUMcBRtYVz5dtGgM-5uJCtG5YeR98kDCnIDiUhpsBOmLcD1wEGyFsLVeMtM2XoFIP3ZKq9NHRXiYN5wsPTNaHkLZczuLh5bt26Q8E-V1TakjLKVEMVTQ1L3zkGs0qqTxo9wkpxFKrriDmBKKc7kf0jlsENhmKtZxH/w640-h376/bluecarrier.tif" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here's another good candidate. This letter was mailed from New York City to Staffordshire, England. The postage rate for a simple letter from the US to the UK at the time was 24 cents for a letter weighing no more than 1/2 ounce. The 24-cent stamp at the left pays that postage rate, and the 1-cent stamp at the right paid for the carrier service in New York City to the mails.</p><p>The case is made stronger by the fact that an additional stamp (the 1 cent stamp) was added to this cover in addition to the amount required for the letter postage rate. Why would a person bother to separate another stamp from the sheet, lick the back, and then stick it on the envelope unless they intended for it to pay for some sort of service?</p><p>The answer is: they wouldn't. So, it is pretty clear the extra penny was intended to pay for the carrier service to the mails. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvs80nws9ohkguCHyTEILb1KwXrC5pugx8TegUvoaFGUvRQZzAPULWegyBsOaoMhBHJUSagQ8Z33GsU40l6dmCoNPJH8tMQeQRoUi-XhduIjwhgHv45_cFAhSaJmxBbHYC5g2Unem5eWM-12dl4MNsN9rtGaCHmdVL9CVRSwG0yGOLO4vv6azxZL4KS7Yz/s1629/Brunswickoverpay.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1629" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvs80nws9ohkguCHyTEILb1KwXrC5pugx8TegUvoaFGUvRQZzAPULWegyBsOaoMhBHJUSagQ8Z33GsU40l6dmCoNPJH8tMQeQRoUi-XhduIjwhgHv45_cFAhSaJmxBbHYC5g2Unem5eWM-12dl4MNsN9rtGaCHmdVL9CVRSwG0yGOLO4vv6azxZL4KS7Yz/w640-h365/Brunswickoverpay.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Here is an example that I hope will illustrate what I mean. The total postage on this cover is 30 cents. The postage rate required for this item was 28 cents. The stamps on the cover include one 24-cent stamp and two 3-cent stamps. What were the extra two cents intended to pay? Or did they pay for anything at all?<br /></p><p>The item was mailed in New York City, so there were letter carriers available. So, it is possible this was an attempt to pay carrier services. But, I don't make the claim that this happened. Why?</p><p>First, the old rate to Brunswick was 30 cents per 1/2 ounce and it had recently (within a few years) been changed. Also, the rate for letters that were sent unpaid was 30 cents and 28 cents when it was properly paid. So, it is entirely possible (in fact, likely) that this was a simple mistake in identifying the postage rate. It is also possible that this was a "convenience overpay." The person had 3-cent stamps and 24-cent stamps, which didn't provide a good option to get to 28 total cents. So, they just got as close to the total they could with what they had. </p><p>This would be different if there were 29 cents of postage on this cover and one of the stamps was a one cent stamp. It certainly would NOT be a convenience overpay - what's convenient about adding another stamp? And, it would clearly not be due to rate confusion - unless they thought they would take the average of the two and give that a go! <br /></p><p>The final piece of evidence is that this letter was mailed in 1865, well after the July 1, 1863 date where the carrier fee was removed. Since there was no carrier fee, it couldn't have been used to pay it. But, even if this had been mailed in 1862, I would not make the claim that it was an attempt to pay for carrier service.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH05mhcG94HjDkZLhavq2CCNygWi03c56jX_K2aOGuR6yl-NLnBx1Iswl81pbI6v45ec3_QUlc1HzFCCHkB-TH9HxmR4Wyyw2oYOqXCfLhujqRrexBsSJyrhJvETBYB-4EzPDgCQqrKWkI3EfDYrS1M5yLkpSVF06wyQouIeBCkD2DL0R9Za_O56WOIqnU/s1663/carrier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1663" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH05mhcG94HjDkZLhavq2CCNygWi03c56jX_K2aOGuR6yl-NLnBx1Iswl81pbI6v45ec3_QUlc1HzFCCHkB-TH9HxmR4Wyyw2oYOqXCfLhujqRrexBsSJyrhJvETBYB-4EzPDgCQqrKWkI3EfDYrS1M5yLkpSVF06wyQouIeBCkD2DL0R9Za_O56WOIqnU/w640-h358/carrier.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>That brings us back to another cover that traveled from New York City to England. This one was mailed in early 1863. Once again, a 24-cent stamp pays the postage rate and a 1-cent stamp pays the carrier fee to the mails. Letter carriers did work in New York City. The date is prior to July 1, 1863. And, there really isn't any other reason for a person to add a 1-cent stamp to this particular cover other than to pay that carrier fee.</p><p>While it is certainly not at all difficult to find covers that illustrate the combination of a carrier fee with the domestic letter rate (3 cents), it is much harder to find examples that traveled to destinations outside of the United States. They certainly exist, most frequently to Canada. I have also seen examples with payment for carrier service to the United Kingdom, France and Italy. There aren't lots of them, but there are enough to confirm that it did happen and to establish patterns so we can more readily identify them.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcy6eK-oEan7-1-YsjlKob-GhcDmr4GLavhvka0hMhdSYT3Mm7d6K5OBGBX7BSkSeO_4ltr3yrNJe7Hf0FQJKLBCy9gRJI94hm97HjY5yHyHY8tL2WC62BPLRr9vR3VvNUHLsYnTzPEP6E-8SNs9i3i3hkz30IfKjp5ZLPSu0-Tp7DrW85Q-yCQ_R473Xn/s1643/privatecarrier.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1643" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcy6eK-oEan7-1-YsjlKob-GhcDmr4GLavhvka0hMhdSYT3Mm7d6K5OBGBX7BSkSeO_4ltr3yrNJe7Hf0FQJKLBCy9gRJI94hm97HjY5yHyHY8tL2WC62BPLRr9vR3VvNUHLsYnTzPEP6E-8SNs9i3i3hkz30IfKjp5ZLPSu0-Tp7DrW85Q-yCQ_R473Xn/w640-h350/privatecarrier.tif" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">More competition for the US Post Office</span></b></p><p>In the Postal History Sunday from two weeks ago, I showed an example of a Blood's Penny Post item where a private carrier picked up the letter and brought it to the post office - instead of a letter carrier employed by the US Post Office. This week, I am showing an example that was carried by Boyd's City Express (New York City) to the mails.</p><p>Like the Philadelphia Boyd's cover, this battered envelope shows a 24-cent stamp that paid the US postage for the rate to the United Kingdom. It also has a Boyd's City Express stamp that indicates the 1 cent fee they required to carry the letter to the post office had been paid.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY51r6MFpFuIsX79PCMYbBrUghz3LTXHTZxg3CaA6fOoarLnTLRw2NwaLZR59QV0vFnCluMCxMA822ytyF_07LtjbG8v8lIk-SUc7_wg3wt0lVEU2IQ4FB9qnKN0BjDyVSpuiXkHOAXcYkD1M6idZXGcpV8DCgo6eNiaa6CPrn5agThLPCXYEJ3ffysT8P/s436/Boyds1860businesscard.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="436" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY51r6MFpFuIsX79PCMYbBrUghz3LTXHTZxg3CaA6fOoarLnTLRw2NwaLZR59QV0vFnCluMCxMA822ytyF_07LtjbG8v8lIk-SUc7_wg3wt0lVEU2IQ4FB9qnKN0BjDyVSpuiXkHOAXcYkD1M6idZXGcpV8DCgo6eNiaa6CPrn5agThLPCXYEJ3ffysT8P/w400-h281/Boyds1860businesscard.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1860 business card from John Bowman's <a href="https://www.pennypost.org/pdf/A-Primer-on-Boyds-City-Express-Post.pdf" target="_blank">Primer on Boyd's City Express</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Like Blood's Penny Post, Boyd's City Express opted to ignore the decision that only the US Post Office could carry mail on designated post roads. Unlike Blood's, who closed in 1862, Boyd's continued to provide their services for local mail delivery until 1883, when government officials raided the business offices. While fines were levied against them, they remained open for business to carry mail for a couple more years before terminating that service. However, they changed their business priorities to focus on mailing lists and address labels.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82ztrg68_WbXVPiA_BB5LZxRbXJYJx3oZkDP-o13C7hlZI7mvDf9gbNOUafyF6igT9KQV2zZR5kuHe_WQEOuF62uJf8YTFDufYWGlFQ5rKrb1CXyjmn7gZmFWYERlqwZNxHkPEvEfuF9u0sLh92NO-SFew5TGwXE7qzD66vmTkLsyofx9o19jOfVqgNDQ/s499/boyds24cents.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="475" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82ztrg68_WbXVPiA_BB5LZxRbXJYJx3oZkDP-o13C7hlZI7mvDf9gbNOUafyF6igT9KQV2zZR5kuHe_WQEOuF62uJf8YTFDufYWGlFQ5rKrb1CXyjmn7gZmFWYERlqwZNxHkPEvEfuF9u0sLh92NO-SFew5TGwXE7qzD66vmTkLsyofx9o19jOfVqgNDQ/s320/boyds24cents.png" width="305" /></a></div><p>Some of you might have noticed that someone wrote "Paid 24 cts" just above the 24-cent stamp. In fact, if you look closely, you can see that the stamp is actually placed over the writing. This tells me that it is likely the letter was handed to a Boyd's letter carrier along with payment for the 24 cents in postage. Since neither the Boyd's carrier, nor the person sending the letter had a 24-cent stamp, they simply wrote the payment amount on the envelope. Once the letter carrier got to the post office, they passed on the payment that led to the addition of the postage stamp. </p><p>Like Blood's Penny Post in Philadelphia and the US Postal Office in New York City (and other carrier cities), Boyd's maintained boxes where customers could drop letters for pick up by persons employed as letter carriers by the City Express. The National Postal Museum includes a description and a photo of one of the two remaining post boxes known to still be in existence today.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdb2v6AqBXAH8y88M77e0-WEdZ97BE6q56F-Xcg79hkyUJYR8sZdHSpJRIP2H2NHQJqtdkV0RqAxnLHrPnftQQgBtxNTuc9kHZ27R4kGKHJfWtPDr-jayd9LwYBn1qYZZXI5GvSZ9dFgaylIBk4VR4FI5U-Hi8ZLAHv-ZbHKXBGi1RX-csi_79U3NEuJd/s664/boydsmailbox.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="649" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdb2v6AqBXAH8y88M77e0-WEdZ97BE6q56F-Xcg79hkyUJYR8sZdHSpJRIP2H2NHQJqtdkV0RqAxnLHrPnftQQgBtxNTuc9kHZ27R4kGKHJfWtPDr-jayd9LwYBn1qYZZXI5GvSZ9dFgaylIBk4VR4FI5U-Hi8ZLAHv-ZbHKXBGi1RX-csi_79U3NEuJd/w391-h400/boydsmailbox.PNG" width="391" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boyd's City Express Post letter drop mailbox - from <a href="https://postalmuseum.si.edu/object/npm_0.279561.1" target="_blank">Smithsonian National Postal Museum</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Now, I will grant you that this Boyd's cover is not pretty - lacking a bit in <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2022/07/curb-appeal-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">curb appeal</a>.
But, I have yet to find any other example of this combination of Boyd's
carrier service to the mail that then goes to the United Kingdom with
24-cents paid by an 1861 series postage stamp. In other words, as far
as I know, it's the prettiest one out there. That's plenty of curb
appeal for me.</p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bonus Material</span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1IN2xDNjli_BTGylZt6h6UKNYG5Jg_TxBYd1xqC9pcXQVMyWPtTvADGEKF-MNnms6a5-uynNw3qQtH0M00pbImEdydIQNdnExVC7TYhrLaX0sYx1wuYOY3PQC6QSp_fM48IP7V8k5VOAYg6vi1C9eagvdGWJu8u7hnoKc4U3ZRC-Q5B7SkITncBslRXQ/s932/fifthavenuehotel.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="932" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1IN2xDNjli_BTGylZt6h6UKNYG5Jg_TxBYd1xqC9pcXQVMyWPtTvADGEKF-MNnms6a5-uynNw3qQtH0M00pbImEdydIQNdnExVC7TYhrLaX0sYx1wuYOY3PQC6QSp_fM48IP7V8k5VOAYg6vi1C9eagvdGWJu8u7hnoKc4U3ZRC-Q5B7SkITncBslRXQ/w400-h293/fifthavenuehotel.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fifth Avenue Hotel - from <a href="http://History101.nyc">History101.nyc</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The "V (Fifth) Avenue Hotel" referenced by the docket on our second cover, was located between 23rd and 24th Streets on the southwest corner of Madison Square in Manhatten (NYC) from 1859 to 1908. Construction was underway in 1856 and reached completion in 1859 at cost around two million dollars. </p><p>During construction, the Fifth Avenue Hotel was dubbed "Eno's Folly" after Amos Eno, the developer responsible for its construction. Detractors felt that it was too far away from the established city center and would fail to attract patrons. However, it rapidly attracted the attention of those with power and money, becoming both a cultural and political gathering point for the elite class. <br /></p><p>Our second letter was received at a pivotal point for the neighborhood. The construction and success of the Fifth Avenue Hotel led to further development around Madison Square Park. Still, in the early 1860s, this hotel was new and it clearly stood out - making it an excellent landmark to use if you wanted to tell a letter carrier you were just three doors away.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoKsM4RWjzjeJqSxkiVTykos3GDPJrM00JCK6MR3SQVRNKJd0CPtZiogdKo1SJ48xACaxQpRCV27J8aGqo445WBmOmd0JtBErbkdux5emm8DsjM5Gz4T9tIDZkRchnlB2dTMy41mJTCMAXtBCyERbxOFa2GyrRiIYfTyN7d-dAOGhV_Wz7nNpc2MbU0DW/s538/threedoorsdown.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="538" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoKsM4RWjzjeJqSxkiVTykos3GDPJrM00JCK6MR3SQVRNKJd0CPtZiogdKo1SJ48xACaxQpRCV27J8aGqo445WBmOmd0JtBErbkdux5emm8DsjM5Gz4T9tIDZkRchnlB2dTMy41mJTCMAXtBCyERbxOFa2GyrRiIYfTyN7d-dAOGhV_Wz7nNpc2MbU0DW/w400-h103/threedoorsdown.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Want to learn more?</span></b></p><p>There are numerous excellent resources available to those who might like to learn more about carrier covers. The topic is well-studied and much broader than I could possibly cover in a couple of blog posts. Here are a few suggestions for those who might like to explore a bit more:<br /></p><p>The <a href="https://www.pennypost.org/" target="_blank">Carriers and Locals Society</a> promotes the study of private carriers and local posts in the United States. Their site includes <a href="https://www.pennypost.org/articles-and-research.asp" target="_blank">articles</a> and <a href="https://www.pennypost.org/exhibits.asp" target="_blank">exhibits</a> that might be of use.</p><p>A <a href="http://chronicle.uspcs.org/PDF/Chronicle_84/7074.pdf" target="_blank">short article</a> that methodically summarizes the history of carrier fees and drop letter rates in New York City can be found in the US Philatelic Classics Society Chronicle if you would like to see a broader context of this topic.</p><p>------------------</p><p>Thank you for joining me this week. I hope you have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-9015642169251188582024-01-14T05:30:00.725-06:002024-01-18T09:36:30.664-06:00Purple Fire Starters - Postal History Sunday<p>My origins as a postal historian have roots in my early interest in collecting postage stamps (philately). As a kid on a shoestring budget, my first source of stamps for collecting came from mail items that my family received, closely followed by stamps torn from covers that were saved by relatives. The postal historian in me shudders that I may well have been responsible for the destruction of some interesting covers. But, if it were not for the willingness of people to at least salvage the stamps on my behalf, I may never have explored postal history at all.</p><p>With my limited income, I could still go down to either the music store, which had some stamps and supplies for collectors, or the "<a href="https://www.unitedstatesnow.org/what-is-a-five-and-dime.htm" target="_blank">five and dime,</a>" and periodically pick up a packet of mixed stamps. On those days I could be found spending way too much time trying to pick the packet that had the most "new to me" stamps visible in the envelope through its clear window. I even "splurged" one day for a BAG of stamps.</p><p>That bag introduced me to the thought that not all stamps have the same value to a collector. Especially when your bag of 1000 stamps had about fifty exciting and new stamps and then multiple copies of other, less exciting, stamps. For example, there had to be at least one hundred of the three-cent purple Jefferson stamps of the <a href="https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/about-us-stamps-bureau-period-1894-1939-definitive-issues/presidential-series-1938" target="_blank">1938 Presidential Series</a>, which was produced through 1954. Let's just say there was a significant amount of "buyer's remorse" after that purchase.<br /></p><p>The three-cent purple stamp paid the most common postal rate for a simple letter mailed within the United States. Which means, of course, there were (and still are) lots and lots of covers featuring this stamp - like the one shown below: <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvrCa0hY2jRdVGt1SMPsFX0OfdB9kaEGMOKm6UmixaDO8w7RrlMGzqZ05efIDYGEOU-TlBFGRKTU1NYtOkhIZcJCZAd4_pK__nJFaGvSL4kakcBBGNG08uwxwNUYYyDhZRg4xqpGJ1WfwYfQBnFee95lZbAfTZjnqen54rvCUAI5KytPXup2Q9o_bkLy7/s1791/prexy3ctkansascity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1791" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvrCa0hY2jRdVGt1SMPsFX0OfdB9kaEGMOKm6UmixaDO8w7RrlMGzqZ05efIDYGEOU-TlBFGRKTU1NYtOkhIZcJCZAd4_pK__nJFaGvSL4kakcBBGNG08uwxwNUYYyDhZRg4xqpGJ1WfwYfQBnFee95lZbAfTZjnqen54rvCUAI5KytPXup2Q9o_bkLy7/w640-h388/prexy3ctkansascity.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>This cover is actually a pretty nice looking example of a typical simple internal letter paying the 3-cent rate for the United States. The cover is in good repair. The markings are all clear. The address and return address are easy to read. The postage stamp has a nice color, is well centered, and in good repair. Even the envelope is a nice shade of blue rather than a dingy white. </p><p>But, it still has that darned purple fire starter!</p><p>My partner, Tammy, joked many years ago that we should take the hundreds and hundreds of copies of this stamp I had in shoe boxes, bundle them up and use them to start fires. Or, maybe we could dip them in wax and make candles out of them. And, I'll tell you that the disappointed young collector wasn't entirely upset by this suggestion. But, the collector in me always balks - because you never know when you might find something special.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Other Fire Starters</span></b><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE3z4E-R7sDmSyL_GNtAeBDXMgSW7io0tadGIKSLbu1BWLs3M4oOyNWb3hXnG176GuQK3m4HbT1NknT8lIzB-lax-77tRkRiGkmHuc_x4KZfvrWiMe-89n0X2GqSq89cDFd9_jXIwhZsiVBqmEXJZ9q6IOl0JjXok_in8casr-hrHtEhN2LVuv49uUDTF/s1664/1861pinkearlyuse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1664" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE3z4E-R7sDmSyL_GNtAeBDXMgSW7io0tadGIKSLbu1BWLs3M4oOyNWb3hXnG176GuQK3m4HbT1NknT8lIzB-lax-77tRkRiGkmHuc_x4KZfvrWiMe-89n0X2GqSq89cDFd9_jXIwhZsiVBqmEXJZ9q6IOl0JjXok_in8casr-hrHtEhN2LVuv49uUDTF/w640-h360/1861pinkearlyuse.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /></div><p></p><p>Postal history is not immune to the concept of "fire starters." The most common piece of saved mail will be a simple letter that shows a typical use of the most common stamp and/or most common markings for that period and place. If there was a reasonable amount of mail volume in the first place, there will most certainly be a class of items that will be plentiful enough to make the collector say, "Oh... another one of.. THOSE."</p><p>For example, the 1861 US series of stamps I favor also features a three-cent stamp that paid the rate for a simple domestic letter. There are lots of examples of this stamp on cover that survive today - even after 160 years. If you wanted to add a piece of real history in the form of an old envelope, you could do so for very little cost. In fact, if you're not picky about how it looks, there are people who might happily gift one to you if you showed real interest.</p><p>So, why would someone want to pay attention to them in the first place? What makes one of these fire starters worth attention?</p><p>For the 1861 cover shown above, you might notice that it is also a clean and well preserved cover, despite its age. That, in itself, is a good start. The color shade of the stamp provides some interest, as do the blue postmarks. And maybe the addressee is of interest. In short, there are many ways a piece of postal history can get our attention - even if it is associated with something that can be found in abundance. <br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Exceptions to the rule </span></b><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJQtQk3YyoZzoSWcgY65_wB1zXWlKY28aX0iPFj5WS5FsrrNI_rgOEm32gTt7K_tuJO6NEfVN-Mlug3Gki06T8wCb46GU-nB_v5sL_TVx4zh_ilihEHGBKU10QGXj5aeJlq0mSRQT-XohUpO-HWvtAV0qS_BpwrEJ6XixPSzHQad4TjC916T-F0xjXA1V/s1821/prexy3ctandspecialdelivery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1219" data-original-width="1821" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJQtQk3YyoZzoSWcgY65_wB1zXWlKY28aX0iPFj5WS5FsrrNI_rgOEm32gTt7K_tuJO6NEfVN-Mlug3Gki06T8wCb46GU-nB_v5sL_TVx4zh_ilihEHGBKU10QGXj5aeJlq0mSRQT-XohUpO-HWvtAV0qS_BpwrEJ6XixPSzHQad4TjC916T-F0xjXA1V/w640-h428/prexy3ctandspecialdelivery.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Just because a three-cent purple Jefferson is associated with the most common type of US domestic mail in the 1940s, it could still be used in combination with other stamps. For example, here is a 1947 envelope that includes a Special Delivery stamp that was intended to pay for additional services.</p><p>Once again, the cover is in good shape and it looks pretty nice. But, there is also the possibility that there is more story to be told with this item. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhop-OkTwplRsUlP3cSHdYn8nYb03LGtm2GtE-r6BzxX9AhA1T3YgLh82ZeldOrqkQUj0ckwgAbuX7cCvE7utNNxQRTnNszozcjupmWLCLkt6YT4Z02DXa4FNCyTR6_jEWD_9Zfk0DZaX6KLIUUhwJFiERPIa035pbQ7bgUT6EAQ0X6n2pqdSZf-YN_B2CB/s1700/prexy3ctmultiple.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1700" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhop-OkTwplRsUlP3cSHdYn8nYb03LGtm2GtE-r6BzxX9AhA1T3YgLh82ZeldOrqkQUj0ckwgAbuX7cCvE7utNNxQRTnNszozcjupmWLCLkt6YT4Z02DXa4FNCyTR6_jEWD_9Zfk0DZaX6KLIUUhwJFiERPIa035pbQ7bgUT6EAQ0X6n2pqdSZf-YN_B2CB/w640-h420/prexy3ctmultiple.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Then there is this letter that was mailed from Des Moines, Iowa, in 1941 to Venezuela. This letter took the more expensive Air Mail services to speed its delivery. It was also inspected by a censor on August 5, with World War II actively engaged - even if the US was not directly involved at the time.</p><p>Once again, this letter clearly has more going on than a simple domestic letter. Even if you are not a postal historian, you would probably notice this envelope if it were in a pile of covers that looked like the first one I showed for this article. </p><p>But, what if I show you this one?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfcMO-bujdhwyWsWdBu3HdVR7MCgyQ6a1fbLPGrS9qxqWEZ-cOytVO5CIOtjGlc0QJLysrdQs06A_G0ZZ2i1nf7ERjsBoEE8w_bFXOdX-3XVlVcuaRXxZtRrKoXjvttQzJMrC2KVKZhxBIALKiQmtwe7sT0xueqLs9hYGZG6RMP1-ANBZS7cfiueqS5Kv/s1951/japaneseinterneeheartmountain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="1951" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfcMO-bujdhwyWsWdBu3HdVR7MCgyQ6a1fbLPGrS9qxqWEZ-cOytVO5CIOtjGlc0QJLysrdQs06A_G0ZZ2i1nf7ERjsBoEE8w_bFXOdX-3XVlVcuaRXxZtRrKoXjvttQzJMrC2KVKZhxBIALKiQmtwe7sT0xueqLs9hYGZG6RMP1-ANBZS7cfiueqS5Kv/w640-h360/japaneseinterneeheartmountain.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Yes. It's a simple, domestic letter. It has that darned fire starter stamp on it. If it were in that same pile of covers, you might not notice it if you quickly flipped through everything - because, for the most part, there's nothing that easily makes it stand out.<br /></p><p>But this envelope is part of a very important story that is part of United States World War II history.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Executive Order 9066</span></b> <br /></p><p>On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This order directed the War Department to establish "military areas" where anyone could be excluded from access. This action came about due to increasing public pressure based on growing anti-Japanese hysteria. Top government officials, such as Attorney General Biddle and Secretary of War Stimson did not necessarily feel the move was a good one and worried that it might not be legal. But, those who insisted the policy was needed to ensure public safety on the West Coast convinced them to recommend the action to the President.</p><p>Executive Order 9066 allowed the military the power to remove persons of Japanese descent from California, Oregon and Washington. The War Relocation Authority was created and a system of Assembly and Relocation Centers were created. Most Assembly Centers were fairgrounds and racetracks on the West Coast. Santa Anita Park, an equestrian racetrack in southern California, temporarily housed <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/japanese-american-incarceration" target="_blank">detainee families in horse stalls</a>. </p><p>There were <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/japanese-american-relocation#conditions-in-relocation-centers" target="_blank">ten Relocation Centers</a> that are more accurately described as prison camps. While each camp included schools, post offices, work facilities and land to grow food, they were also surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers. Those who were labeled as dissidents were sent to a special prison camp in Tule Lake, California. Two camps were located on Native American reservations despite protests of the tribal councils there.<br /></p><p>By August of 1942, <a href="https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation#background" target="_blank">approximately 112,000 persons</a> were sent to the Assembly Centers for processing to the Relocation Centers. Two-thirds of these people were citizens of the United States and had not been charged with disloyalty to the US. Still, they had no mechanism to appeal their detention and loss of property. They were forced to leave homes, jobs, businesses and communities, along with most of their possessions, and when they returned at war's end, many found what they had left behind was gone.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAoNHh7YVxQqjiyZ0004DgiJupGyr6ateCW2jsMmkLdpNfBJrU1NuAK8BUWzbgpEmCCsi52zp80XmcUFidPUSgpUT1609DsaY_ALE-2tVxIcPKsuDOwSTvx1cautfm7tAB9cwIv_Tw9dsN-rVbI88Y2SOm0oEYMRsaehuVAPLsf7GvzBsKfQhvznaJF7G/s1181/japaneseinterneeheartmountainreturnandcds.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="1181" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAoNHh7YVxQqjiyZ0004DgiJupGyr6ateCW2jsMmkLdpNfBJrU1NuAK8BUWzbgpEmCCsi52zp80XmcUFidPUSgpUT1609DsaY_ALE-2tVxIcPKsuDOwSTvx1cautfm7tAB9cwIv_Tw9dsN-rVbI88Y2SOm0oEYMRsaehuVAPLsf7GvzBsKfQhvznaJF7G/w640-h189/japaneseinterneeheartmountainreturnandcds.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Heart Mountain</span></b></p><p>One of the prison camps was located in Wyoming at <a href="https://www.heartmountain.org/history/life-in-the-camp/" target="_blank">Heart Mountain</a>. This Relocation Center consisted of a 740 acre site that included 650 buildings (450 barracks) and was surrounded by barbed wire and nine guard towers. At its peak, over ten thousand people were confined at this camp and those incarcerated there grew their own food on 1,100 acres of nearby land.</p><p>Barracks were laid out in blocks separated by unpaved roads. Kiyoshi Honda, our letter writer, lived in Block 17, according to his return address. Each block consisted of 24 barracks, two mess halls, two latrine buildings, laundry facilities and two recreation buildings. The address "Block 17 - 3 - B" identified the writer's barracks building.<br /></p><div class="wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_40e2b7-37"><div class="kt-inside-inner-col"></div></div><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5OtRDi3Vg5NbKIWx6N0cLIodJ7OX6_vpKptZlxa-k9OH3-hWiPj3E9XYDDcvSt0SiiLBIWCf700lkf5KBZjTozU0zsoxDckA680kDmmv8gHiDbolZHQxKWOmdlQGoSw6XUGlNGIhYeTSjbtxJjwOG2jGRMXKDlgnDbsFAYO9X5XBEi6Yq5EsG7x9-S7g/s1189/heartmountaininternment.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1189" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5OtRDi3Vg5NbKIWx6N0cLIodJ7OX6_vpKptZlxa-k9OH3-hWiPj3E9XYDDcvSt0SiiLBIWCf700lkf5KBZjTozU0zsoxDckA680kDmmv8gHiDbolZHQxKWOmdlQGoSw6XUGlNGIhYeTSjbtxJjwOG2jGRMXKDlgnDbsFAYO9X5XBEi6Yq5EsG7x9-S7g/w640-h406/heartmountaininternment.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heart Mountain Internment Camp - from <a href="https://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu/luna/servlet/detail/uwydbuwy~24~24~424575~186500" target="_blank">Univ of Wyoming / American Heritage Center</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>There are several resources that discuss the history and events surrounding the imprisonment of Japanese peoples during World War II in the United States, but the best resource I have found thus far is the <a href="https://encyclopedia.densho.org/about/" target="_blank">Densho Encyclopedia</a>. I strongly advise interested readers to visit that site, which includes recorded oral histories in addition to images and other materials. Much of the details that follow for both Heart Mountain and Camp Amache were gleaned from <a href="https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Heart_Mountain/" target="_blank">their materials</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCat8pLXbwkhMjM6UTpkfzJlD9Vy772m55ImqKpgfdyXbk6F1cF-SZ4zHlL-cLAgzfSD6bHhxJRBS34zW1Pm4mJDfTFntEIqA7oYzounfIVZAjmXBki0aAaYcE1xnnpljoiZ1UWxSeP8wTvt00kcnHQSzg30FWSFXABNwY4jgw8fO-WPUvyVSenYVr-VDE/s700/workinginfield.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="700" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCat8pLXbwkhMjM6UTpkfzJlD9Vy772m55ImqKpgfdyXbk6F1cF-SZ4zHlL-cLAgzfSD6bHhxJRBS34zW1Pm4mJDfTFntEIqA7oYzounfIVZAjmXBki0aAaYcE1xnnpljoiZ1UWxSeP8wTvt00kcnHQSzg30FWSFXABNwY4jgw8fO-WPUvyVSenYVr-VDE/s320/workinginfield.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="https://encyclopedia.densho.org/sources/en-denshopd-i37-00793-1/" target="_blank">Densho Encyclopedia</a> - viewed 1/6/24<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The location for the Heart Mountain site was not selected for habitability. Instead, the location was intended to isolate the internees from the rest of the population. The land was barren and unwelcoming, especially considering where most detainees had lived prior to their arrival at Heart Mountain.<br /></p><p>The Heart Mountain site started rapid and slipshod construction of the necessary buildings in June of 1942. While around 2000 people were employed in the building process, construction experience was deemed unnecessary - if you could drive a nail with a hammer, you qualified. While construction of over 500 buildings were completed by August, most were poorly suited to withstand the extreme weather typical for Wyoming. Doors and windows were often poorly installed and would not close completely. Detainees began arriving in mid-August and did what they could by hanging spare sheets and stuffing cracks with rags and newspapers.</p><p>The Heart Mountain prison camp is known for the acts of protest undertaken by members of the detainee population. Rather than paraphrase, I thought the following from the Densho Encyclopedia would serve well:<br /></p><p></p><blockquote>"The latent antagonism between Caucasian authorities and inmates came to
boil ... when military police arrested 32 young
children for sledding outside of camp boundaries. Although the children
were released to their parents, inmates were quick to condemn the
treatment of the children by the police. Amidst rising tension the army
attempted to recruit volunteer workers to construct a barbed wire fence
around the perimeter of the camp. The majority of working-age men went
on strike, refusing to participate in the project. They questioned the
army's justification for erecting the fence; namely the attempt to keep
stray cattle from entering the campgrounds. Three thousand inmates
signed a petition "charging that the fence proved that Heart Mountain
was indeed a 'concentration camp' and that the evacuees were 'prisoners
of war.'"<br /></blockquote><p>Of course, there was an effort by government to use semantics to justify the forced removal of these people from the West Coast while still making it sound less like they were actual prisoners. Detainees at Heart Mountain were clearly aware of the picture being painted in the press that worked to put a good face on the matter and they were not willing to accept that without a struggle. <br /></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilI_-tNpywp0jm0_j_oDO1foVwS3PfTZGpxWJtYSk7VJpasCoCKoKTTF87aq7mIxnWGoj0307-Z7umN8gTgXbjP_VoP7lbt2h-LPjOOPKnt6lMlsLZbeSmxEwFtMiKND-UNMoOza8JYZcDa8qGJh8T3B3rouSi2fvMFQFPhy2B32AxumOnxOpAAvS80VXK/s2278/japaneseinterneeCampAmache.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="2278" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilI_-tNpywp0jm0_j_oDO1foVwS3PfTZGpxWJtYSk7VJpasCoCKoKTTF87aq7mIxnWGoj0307-Z7umN8gTgXbjP_VoP7lbt2h-LPjOOPKnt6lMlsLZbeSmxEwFtMiKND-UNMoOza8JYZcDa8qGJh8T3B3rouSi2fvMFQFPhy2B32AxumOnxOpAAvS80VXK/w640-h336/japaneseinterneeCampAmache.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p> <b><span style="font-size: large;">Camp Amache</span></b></p><p><a href="https://amache.org/" target="_blank">Camp Amache</a>, also known as the Granada Relocation Center, is located near the towns of Granada and Lamar, Colorado. This Relocation Center provides an interesting contrast to Heart Mountain. Colorado's Governor Ralph Carr was the only western governor to support the establishment of a Relocation Center in his state. The administrators of Camp Amache were, in general, considered to "have a deep regard for fairness" and some of the teachers petitioned to move to the camp so they could better serve their students.</p><p>The agricultural efforts of the detainees were fairly successful, producing over 4 million pounds of produce in 1943 alone. The camp even had a silk screen printing shop. Established in June of 1943, the Amache silkscreen shop produced over 250,000 color posters under a contract with the US Navy.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStM1FBbLqMKA4PKJlbd5dZpxjQVlSCj4e_LQnY3KIts_6YE5VL1fASklzGLXzemmXVkzAmywcMpImW9de84bs8H7ZubxBOLWR0VFExJIOqQPWej32n2nOJOSTAGFAVRdIG8mKYKCX32lvfLli6rW-oBZsyxJq1YaqylLqixukjOM7gXHpBB6lxv3Al3_r/s1300/campamache.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1300" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStM1FBbLqMKA4PKJlbd5dZpxjQVlSCj4e_LQnY3KIts_6YE5VL1fASklzGLXzemmXVkzAmywcMpImW9de84bs8H7ZubxBOLWR0VFExJIOqQPWej32n2nOJOSTAGFAVRdIG8mKYKCX32lvfLli6rW-oBZsyxJq1YaqylLqixukjOM7gXHpBB6lxv3Al3_r/w640-h360/campamache.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camp Amache - from <a href="https://www.nps.gov/amch/index.htm" target="_blank">National Park Service</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The sender of this letter, <a href="http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu/masc/finders/sc014_2.htm" target="_blank">Sam Okubara,</a> actually served in the US Army after World War II in Japan as a language instructor (presumably teaching the Japanese the English language). The relatively "friendly" conditions at Camp Amache correlated with higher numbers of volunteers for military service. </p><p>The following also comes from the Densho Encyclopedia:</p><p></p><blockquote>"A total of
953 men and women from Amache volunteered or were drafted for military
service during WWII. Of this number, 105 were wounded and 31 killed in
action. Among those killed was Kiyoshi Muranaga who was awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor
. However, not all Amacheans responded favorably to the notice for
induction into the military. Thirty-one men from Amache were tried for
draft evasion, found guilty, and sent to prison in
Tucson, Arizona."</blockquote><p>I think it is important to point out that, while Japanese people in these camps were denied their freedoms, they were still subject to being drafted for military service. I don't think it takes too much imagination to understand why many of those drafted would be inclined to say "no" and accept the punishment of doing so in protest. <br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HzC2eY2HoRHJdhfbuAyrinRk_yyro4ewbNEBPifh_rXle3L_g5YJWRXAR9twP4l8N1yjVaE9VVlHiVjJuJZ2LjNDpPQD8QavuaQ9cD_e_GlbrHdBCTHITuptlRUcidd9irJGqzS6fH6X9-y_HBwJL3FumxJur_gfnlOhjGXp6oNP3W1B9Uj_1wTmT9aH/s352/okubarafamily.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="352" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HzC2eY2HoRHJdhfbuAyrinRk_yyro4ewbNEBPifh_rXle3L_g5YJWRXAR9twP4l8N1yjVaE9VVlHiVjJuJZ2LjNDpPQD8QavuaQ9cD_e_GlbrHdBCTHITuptlRUcidd9irJGqzS6fH6X9-y_HBwJL3FumxJur_gfnlOhjGXp6oNP3W1B9Uj_1wTmT9aH/w640-h450/okubarafamily.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okubara family in mess hall - from <a href="https://mvpl.catalogaccess.com/photos/7196" target="_blank">Mill Valley Public Library</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p>The Okubara family was forcibly removed from their home in Mill Valley, California in April of 1942. The <a href="https://www.millvalleylibrary.org/DocumentCenter/View/1625/MVHS_REVIEW_2019-PDF" target="_blank">Spring 2019 Mill Valley Historical Society Review</a> features the story of the removal of Japanese citizens, including the Okubaras. The Mill Valley Public Library includes images of the family, including the one shown above. Sam can be seen as the second person from the right (in uniform). Sam's parents, Tora and Harry can be seen at the left.</p><p>While Tora would die from heart failure at the camp in 1945, both Sam and his father would return to Mill Valley at the end of World War II. Sam would then depart to serve in Japan soon after. The story in the Mill Valley Historical Society Review is worth a read if you want to get a better flavor of events for that community.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmiQD1HGHZKjAEa5D5U3XQRO5MYSCJtZqzJi9GOQpbWnwMWPRrhP9ueD9dCWiBIvHLGQZIeWjG-Sdi0xfsRQJmsB3q_phCforaOlGSbTmyELb425_e0_qDxgP0JIiFlqoi1AbTNHbfalro-LF5Kbi-sJ0chORv8Sn9pabyFdheyBONAqfli6ZCaGqPh81/s794/granadapioneer.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="794" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmiQD1HGHZKjAEa5D5U3XQRO5MYSCJtZqzJi9GOQpbWnwMWPRrhP9ueD9dCWiBIvHLGQZIeWjG-Sdi0xfsRQJmsB3q_phCforaOlGSbTmyELb425_e0_qDxgP0JIiFlqoi1AbTNHbfalro-LF5Kbi-sJ0chORv8Sn9pabyFdheyBONAqfli6ZCaGqPh81/w640-h224/granadapioneer.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granada Pioneer - from <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83025522/1944-05-10/ed-1/?dl=all&sp=1&st=text&r=-0.069,0.092,1.008,1.144,0" target="_blank">Library of Congress</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>While detainees found themselves in less than desirable situations, they still did what they could to build community. Many of the camps created their own newspapers as evidenced by the masthead of a May, 1944 edition of the Granada Pioneer (Camp Amache) shown above. Reading the contents of these papers show the tensions that reflect the rejection of their loyalty to the land in which they lived and their connections to their homeland or the homeland of their ancestors. They also reflect what was likely a wide range of opinions regarding how they should react within the population of prisoners in these camps.</p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;"><tbody>
<tr>
<td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8GFRQmN8WeRjmTDcYYgI7AmCXcCH3KJOsbAFMFmPljcSS617F4Pk0-LUGctzlCDEFZIHVUSFfpjmSlITkyGwIfNZnW17Tu57HKPEMF-RCoDZxc8p4Jc3f89_LcXa36ZLdFbwbqDUqKbjfq5jkULcPF1tesRz9wSxIN3_ywPFpHW3xQxHyCNX14eCxNK7/s239/CampAmachePOOct14.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="239" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8GFRQmN8WeRjmTDcYYgI7AmCXcCH3KJOsbAFMFmPljcSS617F4Pk0-LUGctzlCDEFZIHVUSFfpjmSlITkyGwIfNZnW17Tu57HKPEMF-RCoDZxc8p4Jc3f89_LcXa36ZLdFbwbqDUqKbjfq5jkULcPF1tesRz9wSxIN3_ywPFpHW3xQxHyCNX14eCxNK7/w320-h241/CampAmachePOOct14.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Oct 14, 1942 Granada Camp Bulletin<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</td>
<td><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zxXLYzBx1wNINCxkRx2wXUTPnTkwG7-SOx0xCAU6JOtR2LR3EFiM1xZ6c8jyX52913MdyK4HnICgNpIFrY86SdtWNv3WELTmo6d7K6GkSDZu4-d6iE-qVsM3_auwAFm47HBpXEElH2mubCjTxhBDawQF_LbTFGZFsMRgX12a2I9fhiBucV0qrUnSPVcP/s401/campamacheponame.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="401" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zxXLYzBx1wNINCxkRx2wXUTPnTkwG7-SOx0xCAU6JOtR2LR3EFiM1xZ6c8jyX52913MdyK4HnICgNpIFrY86SdtWNv3WELTmo6d7K6GkSDZu4-d6iE-qVsM3_auwAFm47HBpXEElH2mubCjTxhBDawQF_LbTFGZFsMRgX12a2I9fhiBucV0qrUnSPVcP/s320/campamacheponame.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83025521/1942-10-17/ed-1/?dl=all&sp=2&st=image" target="_blank">Oct 17, 1942 Granada Camp Bulletin</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWRHFdFm8wy1414acL50BaHmoKLcdp9j_hW7CjWe75iJp-j3a4d5QdFdnkpngiV1J92IdLArGI3Yhs4mPGJA7CxXlWA1-rAF36GxNzCDz8V1XSeNjCZO3Kdo81PD5Ln84sKhAcQp4cvcM/s1600/BL14_toFrancestmaplessback.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><br /><p>The Granada Pioneer had its start as a camp bulletin that began publication on October 14, 1942. In that issue, it becomes clear that the addition of several thousand people to a small, rural population did not come without significant strain on the existing communities. One article makes note (shown above at left) that the rural Granada post office struggled to handle the sudden boom in mail volume. Another mentions that passes to shop in Lamar were not going to be offered because internees had cleaned off the merchants shelves, leaving nothing for the local farmers. Subsequent bulletins for the next week indicate that rapid adjustments were being made and the Lamar Chamber of Commerce was now courting business from those at Camp Amache.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQyZA-lrjLtVoTctf4wa-nRv4oF9ART-Tg2lj3lozAZ_apG1jQ_9r6tI1rHfQrKsOV0ZFwMQonN-ccbS0f4gAUt10gncc_z-QB7X_omYB-46-fjQY1xcRy0POKTMvMf30_oq0XkLXplrL1__edXVJBLO3Bs9RB8A1mWZ4mdncqMa1t7SF_uCzvAC72RK8/s642/japaneseinterneeCampAmachepostmark.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="642" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQyZA-lrjLtVoTctf4wa-nRv4oF9ART-Tg2lj3lozAZ_apG1jQ_9r6tI1rHfQrKsOV0ZFwMQonN-ccbS0f4gAUt10gncc_z-QB7X_omYB-46-fjQY1xcRy0POKTMvMf30_oq0XkLXplrL1__edXVJBLO3Bs9RB8A1mWZ4mdncqMa1t7SF_uCzvAC72RK8/s320/japaneseinterneeCampAmachepostmark.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>While the War Relocation Authority named this the Grenada Relocation Center, the US Post Offices recognition of the name Amache seems to have resulted in the latter name receiving more use. By the time this letter was sent, the post office in the camp had its own cancellation device, though I expect it was in use sooner than this.</p><p>And finally, you might notice that both envelopes were addressed to the newspaper named the Denver Post. Sam Okubara's letter may well have contained payment for a newspaper subscription since his letter was addressed to the subscription office. However, a very faint marking on that envelope indicates that it was in the Steno Department on the 17th of October.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZH3HxnVlscJ2GIXjOlla69F9XiYSDG89mMHRGba1crC3E-_KRdne8y4r3kCgl9JQXP8LH5PR6kLkgetoEX82PcjrUdZ7gOvp-pZQlBWp-JfY-oyc8AESWBLwIECyp4F4LjECnm9d8Lhtsq1XV2I8tG08m21Z30q_SSvAiYflmvBY5fgVmiT4rr0n6U6hN/s512/japaneseinterneeCampAmacheDenverPostStenoDept.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="496" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZH3HxnVlscJ2GIXjOlla69F9XiYSDG89mMHRGba1crC3E-_KRdne8y4r3kCgl9JQXP8LH5PR6kLkgetoEX82PcjrUdZ7gOvp-pZQlBWp-JfY-oyc8AESWBLwIECyp4F4LjECnm9d8Lhtsq1XV2I8tG08m21Z30q_SSvAiYflmvBY5fgVmiT4rr0n6U6hN/s320/japaneseinterneeCampAmacheDenverPostStenoDept.png" width="310" /></a></div>Since there are no contents, we can't be wholly certain of anything. Though it seems odd that a mere subscription would require the efforts of the Stenographer Department. If anyone has insight on this, I would be happy to hear it.<br /><p>And that is how two of what must be many fairly common-looking covers elevate themselves well above firestarter status. They shine a light, without being subjected to burning, on a time in history that we should contemplate and learn from. Thank you for joining me today. I hope you have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.<br /></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bonus Material - the Prexies</span></b></p><p>The 1938 Presidential Series is often referred to by philatelists as the Prexie Series or the Prexies. And, of course, there are people who love to collect and explore the history and postal history that surrounds them. The United States Stamp Society has a <a href="https://www.prexie-era.org/prexies-low-mid-values/" target="_blank">nice overview of the entire issue</a> that you can look at if you want to learn more. This <a href="https://stampsmarter.org/learning/album_Prexie_home.html" target="_blank">online exhibit by Hal Klein</a> can give you an overview of the rates these stamps could pay.</p><p>If you like even MORE detail about the stamps and their production, you can go to <a href="https://stampsmarter.org/1847usa/1938Identifier.html" target="_blank">this page on the Stamp Smarter site</a>. It is here that you might notice the stamp production numbers for each denomination. The three-cent Jefferson had a total production level of 130 BILLION copies during the 1938-54 period. The next highest production number for a denomination in this issue is about a quarter of that. Now you might get an idea of why there are so many of them out there.</p><p>Yet, despite the relatively common occurrence of this particular stamp, a person can find truly interesting, and very worthwhile, things. <br /></p><p>---------------------</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-62947441257634101142024-01-07T05:30:00.253-06:002024-01-07T09:16:15.714-06:00Carried Away - Postal History Sunday<p></p><p>Welcome to Postal History Sunday, a weekly feature where I share a hobby I enjoy with anyone
who has interest. It doesn't matter if you are an accomplished postal
historian or just a curious bystander, everyone has an opportunity to
learn something new. Ignore your troubles for a bit - maybe if you forget to water them, they won't keep getting larger? Grab a
beverage of your choice and put on your fluffy slippers and take a few
moments away from the rest of your busy life.</p><p>This week, we're going to
look at the service provided by letter carriers in the United States to get the mail from the
sender to the post office in the 1860s. I typically refer to these as <b>carrier covers</b>, and they can be an interesting sub-topic for postal historians. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4LacY_YyB4vw1Q6BNZ-kmwXVJlazLoIfP6XAxuRa024RlU9mfQNvtkGB4VKFJC12Y11rasDXtwT_M8X9Tot8ssGNXg7ycSxp47PoWj-L14QHGJLEtdcghLrBW4ZJhuyfLxE8mTNZC0PT98h7lLB3HKMmlvTFN-3N5-6iInVu2xvrwDNnv2SUg7Yk3Mol/s1651/EarlyCarrier.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1651" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4LacY_YyB4vw1Q6BNZ-kmwXVJlazLoIfP6XAxuRa024RlU9mfQNvtkGB4VKFJC12Y11rasDXtwT_M8X9Tot8ssGNXg7ycSxp47PoWj-L14QHGJLEtdcghLrBW4ZJhuyfLxE8mTNZC0PT98h7lLB3HKMmlvTFN-3N5-6iInVu2xvrwDNnv2SUg7Yk3Mol/w640-h380/EarlyCarrier.tif" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>We're going to start with this 1861 letter that originated in Philadelphia. There are two postage stamps (1 cent and 3 cent) representing four cents of postage paid to get this letter to Baltimore. The three cent stamp paid the postage for a simple letter weighing no more than 1/2 ounce within the US, as long as it did not travel over 3000 miles.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Letter Mail Rates in the United States April 1, 1855 - June 30, 1863</b><br />
</p>
<table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;"><tbody><tr><th>Distance</th><th>Rate</th><th>Per</th></tr><tr>
<td>up to 3000 miles prepaid<br /></td>
<td>3 cents<br /></td>
<td><i>1/2 ounce <br /></i></td>
</tr><tr><td>over 3000 miles prepaid <br /></td><td>10 cents<br /></td><td><div style="text-align: right;">
</div><i>1/2 ounce </i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>This particular PHS is concerned about what the blue 1-cent stamp paid for - carriage to the Philadelphia post office. This could either mean that the letter was picked up by the postal carrier from the sender or some other drop off locations, such as a post box.</p><p>A person could also pay to have a letter carrier deliver letters in the larger cities, such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. The full street address on this envelope tells us it could have been carried to No. 41 Charles Street. The recipient would have paid one penny for delivery to the carrier - the sender could not prepay for carrier delivery. But, today we are not going to concern ourselves with delivery. Instead, we'll focus on carriers getting letters <b>to the mails</b>.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>A Service Taken For Granted</b></span></p><p>While
I recognize that fewer and fewer people actually send letters via the
postal service, many who read this blog have at least some memory of a
time when paying bills and sending written correspondence via the mail
was commonplace. Unless you lived in a small, rural town, you probably
have (or had) a postal person delivering mail to your office or place of
residence. If you wanted to send something in the mail, you could
simply place it in your mailbox and that same person would pick up your
letter and take it to the post office for you. </p><p>That's a good example of carrier service to the mails. The big difference is that no extra fee beyond the regular postage rate was needed to secure that service. Prior to July 1, 1863, people who wanted their letter carried to the mails had to pay an extra fee.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawRCuZIeC755qVGixOjGTes3p2FlFZ5GQ44GOH-o3p6ZUp-Yv20hbP__h7jPbGbkaKJ0HAc4vVYaS6wLtewqweQ6i9A5u-8HgOu40RneM-plCobZNDtUX985DlCbZZQ-ZGgVIZRLlw4UqaE3vTlZnQiPAI1tIKzl3T3My3AILsrRWpGSucg/s523/ruralmailbox.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="523" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawRCuZIeC755qVGixOjGTes3p2FlFZ5GQ44GOH-o3p6ZUp-Yv20hbP__h7jPbGbkaKJ0HAc4vVYaS6wLtewqweQ6i9A5u-8HgOu40RneM-plCobZNDtUX985DlCbZZQ-ZGgVIZRLlw4UqaE3vTlZnQiPAI1tIKzl3T3My3AILsrRWpGSucg/s320/ruralmailbox.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from <a href="https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/reaching-rural-america-past-exhibits/rural-mailboxes" target="_blank">Smithsonian National Postal Museum</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I do not live in a town and I also benefit from <a href="https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/rural-free-delivery.htm" target="_blank">Rural Free Delivery</a>
in the United States. In other words, I do not have to pay extra to
have someone drive by our farm six days a week and drop our mail off in a
box that looks a good deal like the one shown above. And, just like
someone who lives in a city with postal carriers, I can place mail into
my mailbox and raise the red flag on the side to alert our rural carrier
that I have placed a letter(s) into the box that I want them to take to
the post office for me without paying more.</p><p>The rural service started in the late 1890s,
though it was not adopted everywhere at once. Prior to that point,
rural customers had to make a trip to the nearest post office (that
could be lengthy) to pick up and drop off mail. Or, they made arrangements with someone else to drop off or pick up mail.<br /></p><p>Well, believe it
or not, there was also a time in the United States where even people
living in some of our largest cities either had to go to the post office
themselves to pick up or send a letter OR they had to pay someone to go
to the post office for them. The 1860s were a key period where carrier services expanded rapidly from the largest cities to smaller cities and towns - which is one reason why I enjoy looking at items from this period in the United States.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>A Penny to Carry Your Mail </b></span><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtX0Q5VznbAOziYNFiQBc3wguZ0HpLoJhmSHDomrFRcPIVGvMb4VOYQ81fYjkCYD8jspdHMyBVswrGG1_xRnhYkpCJ_FgF-FZoJdulbeVXBGzMSfGydjqUOUDhrIxz6IZjYYI8lg7oJHEa9HbLPllwJQ2rdvI0PVmZRdw6ReMWRbbJ0Fl61uApVEfqhSK/s1548/Carrier4ctNewYorkDemonitized.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1548" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtX0Q5VznbAOziYNFiQBc3wguZ0HpLoJhmSHDomrFRcPIVGvMb4VOYQ81fYjkCYD8jspdHMyBVswrGG1_xRnhYkpCJ_FgF-FZoJdulbeVXBGzMSfGydjqUOUDhrIxz6IZjYYI8lg7oJHEa9HbLPllwJQ2rdvI0PVmZRdw6ReMWRbbJ0Fl61uApVEfqhSK/w640-h408/Carrier4ctNewYorkDemonitized.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br />Here is a similar item showing 1 cent payment a letter carrier to take this envelope to the New York City post office. In addition the possibility of handing a letter directly to a carrier, New Yorkers could find one of the lamp-post drop boxes scattered throughout the city. </p><p>There were 586 such boxes in 1863 in NYC but there were most likely fewer in 1861 when the letter shown above was mailed. To my knowledge, there isn't any way to tell whether this envelope was handed to a carrier or taken from one of these boxes. But, once again, the 1-cent stamp is evidence that the carrier service to the New York post office was paid. </p><p>And, before we move on, there is something different about this cover. See if you can see it. If you can't, don't worry, I'll fill you in later!</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbUp8Fm04RWJ1vhtYcAuqURnftTGPEtzSF7UIPfMYH6R9c1jK-cQly26D852VdikBG-o7ynKsorDI0-lZDhoF7VTUpXse7_N3WkQmOeCI-uF1VXHKNucYCQtdiwOnCQ8v9XjtAroy3uVA6CWXm6tHnIP22T3dM0puXrvTYc1Frx_ygjEWkQ/s577/mailboxpottspatent1858.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="384" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbUp8Fm04RWJ1vhtYcAuqURnftTGPEtzSF7UIPfMYH6R9c1jK-cQly26D852VdikBG-o7ynKsorDI0-lZDhoF7VTUpXse7_N3WkQmOeCI-uF1VXHKNucYCQtdiwOnCQ8v9XjtAroy3uVA6CWXm6tHnIP22T3dM0puXrvTYc1Frx_ygjEWkQ/w266-h400/mailboxpottspatent1858.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from <a href="https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/customers-and-communities-serving-the-cities-overcoming-congestion/street-corner" target="_blank">Smithsonian</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p>According
to Appleton's United States Postal Guide for 1863, carriers visited
these boxes six times a day to empty them and take the letters deposited
there to the post office. There were 137 postal carriers employed by
the New York City post office if we use the numbers in the report of the Postmaster
General for the fiscal year 1863/64. Their job, in addition to picking
up letters from these letterboxes, was to also make deliveries of the
mail and collect the one cent carrier fee.</p><p>You might be
surprised to learn that the first collection box officially sanctioned
by the US Post Office was patented in 1858 by Albert Potts. These were
quite small and required frequent emptying. This, of course, led to
larger boxes, including those built under contract with the Post Office
by John Murray in 1860. If this topic interests you, you may enjoy
reading the<a href="https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/customers-and-communities-serving-the-cities-overcoming-congestion/street-corner" target="_blank"> summary provided here</a> by the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.</p><p></p><p>There was limited carrier service for pick up and delivery well before the 1860s, which is the period I focus on. The <a href="https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/new-york-city-directories#/?tab=about" target="_blank">New York City Directory and Register</a> for 1789 lists at least one letter carrier named Hugh Duncan, as pointed out in this presentation by <a href="https://www.pennypost.org/pdf/Early-Carrier-Service-in-America.pdf" target="_blank">Calvet Hahn</a> and confirmed by viewing the directory in question (shown below). There are also covers that exist to show carrier delivery service in Philadelphia as early as 1754.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4OB98kHQ2hbonDSaATAqR_HVoR9sUgofByTzgbBZr6Tt28fCQIiaqXBnhoozKRjC93teiBJBkV5KLnBfAlSuNu6_-4LoNdTIn9waFh3JgGW_4tqEoxzPVSma2Msm6D_nxGeNU_-pvXXfgMgdKFvYqhR3nzrM3qdrJ-VxAF1td1Sg2cetOxpzCm30U2XJ/s484/carrierDuncanHugh1789NYCdirectory.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="484" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4OB98kHQ2hbonDSaATAqR_HVoR9sUgofByTzgbBZr6Tt28fCQIiaqXBnhoozKRjC93teiBJBkV5KLnBfAlSuNu6_-4LoNdTIn9waFh3JgGW_4tqEoxzPVSma2Msm6D_nxGeNU_-pvXXfgMgdKFvYqhR3nzrM3qdrJ-VxAF1td1Sg2cetOxpzCm30U2XJ/w640-h176/carrierDuncanHugh1789NYCdirectory.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>The
motivations for the US Post Office to begin taking carrier pick up and
delivery more seriously is a fairly complex question. I could point to
Europe and the history of mail pick-up and delivery that was well
established
there. But, that would only serve as the model for some of the ideas
that were implemented in the United States. We need to remember that
the majority of the population resided in rural areas and the existing city infrastructures were much
younger and less established in the US. <br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>An Outside Motivation - Protecting Turf<br /></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginZ--H4OJ40i-ssIsP7Vvlyg5cl2awnKKJwdfW0pLtd5LWnEOafsDR5w_WN4B7l6iooSz_tsKc1UxMvPCinKRd_jTKYNhW3sQbXjzQE_SE0kKJHxyfrMgomtNy7Wz1SmFlGSfIwEpCwuYFfQDGW59otxHd3k8glSTn2dFHLh3twdz4sS8ew/s1633/bloodscarrier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1633" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginZ--H4OJ40i-ssIsP7Vvlyg5cl2awnKKJwdfW0pLtd5LWnEOafsDR5w_WN4B7l6iooSz_tsKc1UxMvPCinKRd_jTKYNhW3sQbXjzQE_SE0kKJHxyfrMgomtNy7Wz1SmFlGSfIwEpCwuYFfQDGW59otxHd3k8glSTn2dFHLh3twdz4sS8ew/w640-h364/bloodscarrier.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Just
as private mail services pushed the US Post Office to provide cheaper
postage (and get laws passed to remove the competition), the private
services that offered to take mail to and from private homes and
businesses encouraged change by providing competition. One well known private service was called the
Blood's Penny Post in Philadelphia. </p><p>Shown above is a letter that
was mailed in Philadelphia on September 4, 1861, to Washington, D.C. A
three-cent stamp paid for the domestic postage to get from Philadelphia to
D.C., but there is an additional adhesive on this cover that represented
payment to Blood's for carrier service.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTUVz_LbKIMLN8OwuXu1UKu-PCIYwCbfzvt2Xz0MfNHY51_5RhNNjKoVU9NuATSJ8IN2vxQs9b9SXKYiAfoo3W8SBQt0iYe6_jU_7sLE0TULz0MY_7qAAe2WY4_svZsd1_LWE-l_HGin9DbguiyTN0qBgAGsRoW6f8RVaetjhSlJ3_4QXSA/s239/bloodsstamp%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="153" data-original-width="239" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTUVz_LbKIMLN8OwuXu1UKu-PCIYwCbfzvt2Xz0MfNHY51_5RhNNjKoVU9NuATSJ8IN2vxQs9b9SXKYiAfoo3W8SBQt0iYe6_jU_7sLE0TULz0MY_7qAAe2WY4_svZsd1_LWE-l_HGin9DbguiyTN0qBgAGsRoW6f8RVaetjhSlJ3_4QXSA/s1600/bloodsstamp%20copy.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><p>The
Blood's carrier service started in 1845 as D.O. Blood & Co,
becoming Blood's Despatch in 1848, and was finally known as Blood's Penny
Post in 1854. At its height, it serviced hundreds of collection boxes
throughout Philadelphia that were emptied as many as five times a day. </p><p>If
you'll look at the cover above, you'll find a round marking at the
bottom left. It is hard to read, so I can provide you with a similar
marking that bears different dates and times. If the marking on our cover were clearer, we might expect to be able to
find out which time of day this letter had been collected by Blood's
Penny Post - just as the example below from 1858 illustrates for us.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SK7gw_X-3MOh2f04tmSZNPzWtm4TAoerRAO3ot-TuzFs9grwj0xtbuoVVHUHQZwQymOUE-uKbyxkn8IBf9PZXrg4rMmq9VLQXgvEep5bA11X5kWGakrYjbsP-fY3NPAsn7-5ZLuhgrbHgdbetDi2XLnI5kgPJZdh4flj3KfgFVz6shOrVA/s210/bloods.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="199" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SK7gw_X-3MOh2f04tmSZNPzWtm4TAoerRAO3ot-TuzFs9grwj0xtbuoVVHUHQZwQymOUE-uKbyxkn8IBf9PZXrg4rMmq9VLQXgvEep5bA11X5kWGakrYjbsP-fY3NPAsn7-5ZLuhgrbHgdbetDi2XLnI5kgPJZdh4flj3KfgFVz6shOrVA/s1600/bloods.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><p>In
September of 1861, the cost for carrier service by Blood's Penny Post to the US Post Office
in Philadelphia was one penny. Blood's started the service at a cost of
three cents in 1845, dropping it to 2 cents and then 1 cent (in 1855)
as business grew and competitors attempted to get into the fray. If you
are interested in seeing examples of postal history from Blood's and
their competitors in Philadelphia you may view them in <a href="https://www.collectorsclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/VernMorris.pdf" target="_blank">Vernon Morris'
exhibit</a> of Blood's postal history.<br /></p><p>It
turns out that it can be useful to have the federal government on your side. The US Post Office had the ability to declare any road or street a "post
road." Once a road or street had that designation it was no longer
legal for a private entity to carry the mail via those routes. In July
of 1860, the Postmaster General announced that all streets in
Philadelphia were post roads. As a result, Blood's was technically
no longer allowed to carry mail in the city - but they opted to ignore that
announcement and continued to provide their services.<br /></p><p>However,
after the Post Office sought an injunction to prevent Blood's from
continuing in 1861, the Penny Post finally shut their doors on January 10, 1862.
If you would like more details about Blood's Penny Post, I suggest you
read this article in the <a href="http://chronicle.uspcs.org/pdf/Chronicle_144/10814.pdf" target="_blank">Classics Society's Chronicle by Edward Harvey</a>. And, if that's still not enough for you, you can read this article that <a href="https://www.pennypost.org/pdf/penny-post-archive/PennyPost199111.pdf" target="_blank">expands on certain details by Steven Roth</a> (starts page 4). </p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>US Postal Carriers in Major Cities</b></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-ID851kjUzMuzOqSpTtoOVH-cDP0EU7S-BrR10xLvJxoBgr8t4o6n3tmVUPJYg2Orfzz_bmVGIzz9EdnubVvplUFUVJY2tYDxxiKBwSCS5JS-hZNL_GK7e5WyR5qvg6ygm-B2pv0Dw8-GEg_Z5rImbCJo9_frMvLspp3TAMt6DJEaiMaEA/s1591/Phila4ctCarriernov18b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1591" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-ID851kjUzMuzOqSpTtoOVH-cDP0EU7S-BrR10xLvJxoBgr8t4o6n3tmVUPJYg2Orfzz_bmVGIzz9EdnubVvplUFUVJY2tYDxxiKBwSCS5JS-hZNL_GK7e5WyR5qvg6ygm-B2pv0Dw8-GEg_Z5rImbCJo9_frMvLspp3TAMt6DJEaiMaEA/w640-h344/Phila4ctCarriernov18b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>A person can, if they wish, find examples
of the US Post Office's penny carrier service in several of the major cities in the early
1860s. In my own collection, I have examples for New York City,
Boston, Brooklyn, Baltimore and Philadelphia (another is shown above).
In each case, a three cent stamp pays for a simple letter weighing no
more than 1/2 ounce to travel from one point to another within the
United States. The one-cent stamp pays for the carrier service to the
post office.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_0aDRBdze2Bq5_qARkmdybgyEfYTa9fu2avwuavoE6S2GZ0QPAaSv8YHnaEn2y1msJ93kWm-PM9S-VXyVbe8dk7SfRwBrrmIMbJyzas_Qouz4VYm5lNReo9qVt5m31oQtmBQB1Fruww85j_DyueWCcEzZH5O3W-hReMHzJzK01mzYB6yRQ/s229/philpenpost.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="229" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_0aDRBdze2Bq5_qARkmdybgyEfYTa9fu2avwuavoE6S2GZ0QPAaSv8YHnaEn2y1msJ93kWm-PM9S-VXyVbe8dk7SfRwBrrmIMbJyzas_Qouz4VYm5lNReo9qVt5m31oQtmBQB1Fruww85j_DyueWCcEzZH5O3W-hReMHzJzK01mzYB6yRQ/w200-h192/philpenpost.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It
is interesting to note that the US Post Office in Philadelphia was not
too proud to take a few clues from the successful Blood's Penny Post.
The back of this letter shows a poorly struck postmark that would
include the date and time stamp to show which carrier circuit picked the
item up.<p></p><p>Rather than show you that marking, because it is hard
to read, let me show you a similar marking that bears a different date
in time so you can get a feel for what it looks like.</p><p>As postal
use grew in the 1860s, the number of cities that provided carrier
services increased. And, on July 1, 1863, the one cent fee for carrier
service was removed and <a href="https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/customers-and-communities-serving-the-cities-city-free-delivery/joseph-briggs-and-the" target="_blank">Free City Delivery</a>
was established in the United States. At that time only 49 post offices
employed at least one carrier and there were approximately 450 carriers
in total. By 1900, over 400 cities employed nearly 10,000 letter
carriers and rural delivery was starting to get a foothold.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Why are Postal Historians Attracted to "Carrier Covers"? </b></span><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtdIiCMsQg-DCsKRi_Eac2j35dLq8v6AN_UlGkMj_7jcc8lmiaCPabMsVsNfZKF2BTo7WJKDTUNAIiD30DBZmAZgDTI_lDd6Q9PexOPQKtFlLkLQsfBHYpeniM1VruH8dKnl1Ta8ozth8tutQuBWkk5ComhS3vEjinKmCYwP96QdoP1coWw/s1409/Baltimore4ctCarrier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="1409" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtdIiCMsQg-DCsKRi_Eac2j35dLq8v6AN_UlGkMj_7jcc8lmiaCPabMsVsNfZKF2BTo7WJKDTUNAIiD30DBZmAZgDTI_lDd6Q9PexOPQKtFlLkLQsfBHYpeniM1VruH8dKnl1Ta8ozth8tutQuBWkk5ComhS3vEjinKmCYwP96QdoP1coWw/w640-h364/Baltimore4ctCarrier.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>As
a postal historian, I appreciate items that provide me with clues that
tell me how the letter traveled through the mail. Once we get to the
middle of 1863 and the 1 cent fee for carrier pickup to the post office
was removed, we lose some of the indicators that might tell us how a letter
got to the post office in the first place. A letter that was picked up
from a lamppost drop box will look exactly the same as one that was
dropped by the customer at the main post office after July 1st of that
year.<br /></p><p>That's why items prior to that date, like the cover
shown above, have a special attraction. The mere existence of the 1
cent stamp on this cover tells us that a carrier picked up this item and
took it to the post office. Just a bit more of the story is evident
here. And, because I know it cost 1 cent for a carrier to pick this up,
I know the item shown below was NOT taken to the Philadelphia post
office by a US post carrier.</p><p>Why? Well, the postmark date is 1861, so the 1 cent carrier fee was in force. There is no indication of carrier service so it is highly likely it was dropped at the post office.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMaZtNQyMXZP4ShJQJJJ0ronezNxzC80f34xgqkVkL_XjuV97YigWnZNF_0Qma4cRMyKFU99RZFW9BDL55yXP9mdGeg5gwtqSAWOg6BwYBAQBZs3zmHhAqUP6GpMGBZczbgpKRgOeNJ8IDoppnmFUxHh2FbdfLxBsszzOri-H3ntAWaw3hg/s1294/img078.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1294" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMaZtNQyMXZP4ShJQJJJ0ronezNxzC80f34xgqkVkL_XjuV97YigWnZNF_0Qma4cRMyKFU99RZFW9BDL55yXP9mdGeg5gwtqSAWOg6BwYBAQBZs3zmHhAqUP6GpMGBZczbgpKRgOeNJ8IDoppnmFUxHh2FbdfLxBsszzOri-H3ntAWaw3hg/w640-h378/img078.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>If this item were dated October 1, 1863 (instead of 1861), I would not have any clues to tell me about the journey this letter took to get to the post office. It could have been dropped in a post box, handed to a carrier or passed to the postal clerk at the post office.<br /></p><p>But,
that's not the whole story of what attracts people to items we call
"carrier covers." You've actually gotten a taste of it in this Postal
History Sunday. We have interesting stories involving private local
carriers that provided a service that the US Post Office was either
neglecting or not doing sufficiently well. We see evidence of social
change as mail was made more accessible to a wider audience. We see the
progress where a convenience that initially required payment eventually becomes an expected free service.</p><p>It's a good story. And you all know how I like a good story.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bonus Material</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginZ--H4OJ40i-ssIsP7Vvlyg5cl2awnKKJwdfW0pLtd5LWnEOafsDR5w_WN4B7l6iooSz_tsKc1UxMvPCinKRd_jTKYNhW3sQbXjzQE_SE0kKJHxyfrMgomtNy7Wz1SmFlGSfIwEpCwuYFfQDGW59otxHd3k8glSTn2dFHLh3twdz4sS8ew/s1633/bloodscarrier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1633" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginZ--H4OJ40i-ssIsP7Vvlyg5cl2awnKKJwdfW0pLtd5LWnEOafsDR5w_WN4B7l6iooSz_tsKc1UxMvPCinKRd_jTKYNhW3sQbXjzQE_SE0kKJHxyfrMgomtNy7Wz1SmFlGSfIwEpCwuYFfQDGW59otxHd3k8glSTn2dFHLh3twdz4sS8ew/w400-h228/bloodscarrier.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>The
letter that features the Blood's Penny Post stamp is written to a
Private James C. Hufty of Colonel Baker's "First California" Regiment,
Company C. Hufty, a 21 year old, enrolled on April 18, 1861 with the
First California. Apparently, Hufty found some way to hold on to the
letters he received because there are several envelopes from this
correspondence available to collectors. </p><p>Camp Oregon (where this letter was addressed) was part of the
defense around Washington, D.C. (to its northwest) and many of these
camps included <a href="https://www.oah.org/resources/scholarship/civilwar/gallery/family-members-encamped-with-union-troops-near-washington-d.c/" target="_blank">the families of some of the soldiers</a>.
This could, I suppose, help explain how these envelopes survived. Is
it possible he had someone at camp who kept track of these letters for him? Below is
a photo of the 31st Pennsylvania Volunteers encamped at that time near
Washington, D.C. (a different unit that did not include Hufty).<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-tUk9z4_FYBImub53a0PcGDFr5CUbTON7gRpU0LV70ptjjcSf4g-F-sRzaCRs9ICb9HnWuctPetONjBeWMymt3oLl1Qdl7e5sb_lMs_mujo8PLetC-zbYjk71XgNs_WcGX4CF6_4rNYd4fdVUG5IuAxjEH6eCr2iFgwS4nOQn2Z9eINyVA/s640/family-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="640" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-tUk9z4_FYBImub53a0PcGDFr5CUbTON7gRpU0LV70ptjjcSf4g-F-sRzaCRs9ICb9HnWuctPetONjBeWMymt3oLl1Qdl7e5sb_lMs_mujo8PLetC-zbYjk71XgNs_WcGX4CF6_4rNYd4fdVUG5IuAxjEH6eCr2iFgwS4nOQn2Z9eINyVA/w400-h371/family-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Library of Congress, LC-DIG-cwpb-01663</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Private
Hufty would be among 553 Federal prisoners taken at the Battle of
Ball's Bluff on October 21, 1861. I have not been able to track Hufty
beyond that point in time.<br /></p><p></p><p><a href="https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/items/show/4827#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-226%2C11%2C689%2C351" target="_blank">Senator Edward D Baker</a>,
of Oregon, formed this regiment largely with volunteers from
Philadelphia and New York City, despite what the name might imply.
Baker was a politician and a friend of President Lincoln. Because he
recruited this regiment (and he had connections), Baker was given the
commission as Colonel, despite his lack of military training. This was a
fairly common occurrence early in the war, which led to numerous
mistakes in early action.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluSVHmNOyla90ttDibLiZHYG9RiPZXuNx2KWbXPb77b4yScr23zmKX0ZcYonqB7J-jP0uZgeUsbjfWRwVKiLjMJ3PeIPOoVoHpWm9krxguNcRS3Ii0fcEQ3qb0Ave6er1DAcX55unZKtyYY1UtFlaJv37QLN9ZPi0tuuaU8QTNQPBCPtZFQ/s617/Battle_of_Ball's_Bluff_Map.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="617" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluSVHmNOyla90ttDibLiZHYG9RiPZXuNx2KWbXPb77b4yScr23zmKX0ZcYonqB7J-jP0uZgeUsbjfWRwVKiLjMJ3PeIPOoVoHpWm9krxguNcRS3Ii0fcEQ3qb0Ave6er1DAcX55unZKtyYY1UtFlaJv37QLN9ZPi0tuuaU8QTNQPBCPtZFQ/w640-h622/Battle_of_Ball's_Bluff_Map.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from WikiMedia Commons<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The
Battle of Ball's Bluff was a prime illustration how the lack of
military background cost dearly. Baker positioned his troops on low
ground, putting them at great disadvantage. They were pressed back to
the Potomac where many were killed, captured or drowned in the attempt
to retreat. Baker paid with his life and his incompetence resulted in
the creation of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of War. The Joint
Committee was created to begin addressing the competence of military
leadership and to counter politically motivated appointments.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPil_6qRb6vG_9MlOmpVls2yvT4hJu9VMpOOJznTwX9x5K_hQ5_pqGmtZcjKTFRaiBye0X3kuD_xS1Vg6y2E9CkG7zWPGd51nwyMesfR3_vJNOR0_lESCjqyyt0sx56E_RFkvHPdVOGx-luEum_hZAomjq-qVY0LkEqEqHxQ7Z2DwHw9dDRg/s800/bakeratballsbluff.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="800" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPil_6qRb6vG_9MlOmpVls2yvT4hJu9VMpOOJznTwX9x5K_hQ5_pqGmtZcjKTFRaiBye0X3kuD_xS1Vg6y2E9CkG7zWPGd51nwyMesfR3_vJNOR0_lESCjqyyt0sx56E_RFkvHPdVOGx-luEum_hZAomjq-qVY0LkEqEqHxQ7Z2DwHw9dDRg/w400-h263/bakeratballsbluff.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baker shot at Ball's Bluff - from <a href="https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3b50103/" target="_blank">Library of Congress</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>After the Senator's (Colonel's) death, the 1st California was renamed the <a href="http://www.pacivilwar.com/regiment/71st.html" target="_blank">71st Pennsylvania Infantry</a>,
though it was (and is) still often referenced by its original name.
The 71st participated in many major battles, including Chancellorsville
and Gettysburg. They were mustered out in August of 1864.</p><p>If you are interested in more details surrounding the 71st Pennsylvania, the <a href="http://bluegraymagazine.com/store/product87.html" target="_blank">History of Edward Baker's California Regiment</a>, 71st PA Inf. by Gary
G. Lash could be of interest to you. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">And one more tidbit for this week</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtX0Q5VznbAOziYNFiQBc3wguZ0HpLoJhmSHDomrFRcPIVGvMb4VOYQ81fYjkCYD8jspdHMyBVswrGG1_xRnhYkpCJ_FgF-FZoJdulbeVXBGzMSfGydjqUOUDhrIxz6IZjYYI8lg7oJHEa9HbLPllwJQ2rdvI0PVmZRdw6ReMWRbbJ0Fl61uApVEfqhSK/s1548/Carrier4ctNewYorkDemonitized.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1548" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtX0Q5VznbAOziYNFiQBc3wguZ0HpLoJhmSHDomrFRcPIVGvMb4VOYQ81fYjkCYD8jspdHMyBVswrGG1_xRnhYkpCJ_FgF-FZoJdulbeVXBGzMSfGydjqUOUDhrIxz6IZjYYI8lg7oJHEa9HbLPllwJQ2rdvI0PVmZRdw6ReMWRbbJ0Fl61uApVEfqhSK/w400-h255/Carrier4ctNewYorkDemonitized.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I promised earlier that I would fill you in about the thing that is "different" for the second cover shown in today's Postal History Sunday - so here we are!</p><p>The United States Postal Service issued a new design of postage stamps in 1861, releasing them for use in August of that year. At the same time, the <b>demonetized</b> the older designs of postage stamps - making them no longer valid to pay postage. The idea was to prevent postmasters and persons in the Confederate States from using older stocks of US postage.</p><p>However, there was a period of time where old postage was still allowed and, of course, not every instance where a person tried to use an old stamp was going to be noticed. While the new designs were different, their colors and designs were similar enough that a person with much to do might miss it. This is an example of a cover where an old design from the 1851 / 1857 series (the blue one cent stamp) is used with a new 1861 design (the rose colored three cent stamp).</p><p>Of course, there is more that can be said about that - but that might be best said in another Postal History Sunday.<br /></p><p>Thank you for joining me this week. I hope you have a great remainder of your day and a fine week to come!</p><p>---------------------</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-28188108348888485562023-12-31T05:30:00.509-06:002023-12-31T05:30:00.256-06:00Author's Choice for 2023 - Postal History Sunday<div class="separator"></div><div class="separator"></div><p>It is Sunday and it is also the day before the turning of the calendar from 2023 to 2024. As has been the tradition with Postal History Sunday, I am offering up what I feel are some of the best entries for the past year. Feel free to take the links to the original articles if the description moves you to do so. And, of course, if you think I've got it all wrong and there are others that should have made the list, feel free to let me know.<br /></p><p>If you look under the image for each article you will find a "trivia" question. See how many you can answer! Hint - one might find those answers by taking the link for each entry - who didn't see that coming?</p><p>Set the troubles aside, grab a favorite beverage and put on the fuzzy slippers. It's time for Postal History Sunday!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></p></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>People's Choice - <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-foolish-desire-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">The Foolish Desire</a></b></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="CSS_LIGHTBOX_SCALED_IMAGE_IMG" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0qeU7Fdd0YG0_qPkcnHhvdtKpXLQEHBbi93XAwXK7u0HFnpEBsFElXNym1bsBmPNFYnH4zBSeGHZcIky6rPlEItdOPGHu1FAv0_R5Egeq72dUPmkyezEqZUVe-qTAwYnRs55O61nEt4/s409/John_William_De_Forest.png" style="height: 409px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 309px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1. In addition to his military service during the Civil War, what was J.W. DeForest' primary occupation?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></p></div><p>The "People's Choice" award was actually very close this year with no entry running away from the competition. The interesting thing, for me, was how some blogs clearly appealed to a wider audience - and they weren't always the ones I expected. </p><p>This was actually one of the Postal History Sunday entries this year that was a rewrite of an entry from a couple of years ago. I've learned more since it first appeared and I know that the best writing is actually re-writing. The results here seem to back that up.</p><p>As far as a preview is concerned, the main focus is on the contents of a letter written by Harriet Silliman Shepherd to Erastus DeForest during the American Civil War. This Postal History Sunday ranges far and wide, including bull fighting, fancy cancellations, and the chi square distribution. Yes, you read that right. We take our mathematics seriously here too.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">11. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/02/one-thing-leads-to-another-postal.html" target="_blank">One Thing Leads to Another</a> and <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/02/another-thing-leads-to-another-postal.html" target="_blank">Another Thing Leads to Another</a></span></b><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SjdNyeVwt8K9IX3C5X9QMME13__9fk1jpqtdk8pFl0zbV6C4EyjAak3xeYqFDrV6kCKSE_8IpL2zSOQaTUAmWXAKRG5wiytkl5mKLdsy0BH-lgrgdTf67uF64EyxA6b3kRrFO8hUSrZjBoIJP9nFZWOE3PQ3jCiS_K7AQActfMe-UhPjaP7LPJwAcPZd/s961/slide0.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="961" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SjdNyeVwt8K9IX3C5X9QMME13__9fk1jpqtdk8pFl0zbV6C4EyjAak3xeYqFDrV6kCKSE_8IpL2zSOQaTUAmWXAKRG5wiytkl5mKLdsy0BH-lgrgdTf67uF64EyxA6b3kRrFO8hUSrZjBoIJP9nFZWOE3PQ3jCiS_K7AQActfMe-UhPjaP7LPJwAcPZd/w640-h468/slide0.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2. What was the purpose of an exchange office for foreign letter mail?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>While it might seem a bit like I am cheating to get more than eleven blog entries into this list, it's pretty difficult to separate these two because they were intended to be linked in the first place. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.<br /></p><p>Both of these entries were inspired by a virtual presentation I provided for the Collectors Club of New York. Okay... It was a REAL presentation, not a virtual one. But, I was safely ensconced in front of my computer, just as the audience members were. I appreciate the opportunities to participate in things like this that are brought about by tools like Zoom because I might not have been able to join in otherwise.</p><p>There were many positive responses to the content I shared during the presentation, so I thought I would convert some of it to a blog form. If you would like to learn a bit about how I use information from one cover to help me understand another cover, these blogs might be of interest to you. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">10. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/03/crossing-pond-and-lighting-candle.html" target="_blank">Crossing the Pond and Lighting a Candle</a></span></b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKb16WdemCeFCC6qp8cw506Z0gNwpRhYjG1xfg0OqI09-Gc33cRyb766-kLWuQvSTYk_05xbcpTkFMTcOYQkfXjrXDS2QQq0l7siDR7GxlbDgmE5GlqoqfzNbTEIA3rxk9FCQh79UnbYNLapLNXU3kOnmtlWRagitgQtZhgdkiwzyQuy1jIi8bMuSYyAg/s529/jcfield1867-the-archers-register.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="529" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKb16WdemCeFCC6qp8cw506Z0gNwpRhYjG1xfg0OqI09-Gc33cRyb766-kLWuQvSTYk_05xbcpTkFMTcOYQkfXjrXDS2QQq0l7siDR7GxlbDgmE5GlqoqfzNbTEIA3rxk9FCQh79UnbYNLapLNXU3kOnmtlWRagitgQtZhgdkiwzyQuy1jIi8bMuSYyAg/w400-h284/jcfield1867-the-archers-register.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3. Why was paraffin a popular choice for candle making in the 1860s?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />I will admit that some of my favorite Postal History Sunday's to write are those where I allow myself to really explore a single cover fully and thoroughly. This article is actually a very good example of that approach. It starts with a step by step "reading" of the cover to help show everyone how I could determine postal rates, routes and means of transportation. Then, we get to explore the contents and the recipients of the folded letter being featured.</p><p>This article does a good job of knowing when to quit, in my opinion. And that's actually one of the hardest things to figure out as I write Postal History Sunday. Clearly topics like trans-Atlantic mail carriage, candle making and the history of a specific geographical region can fill chapters in a book. The trick is to find enough to clearly and accurately reflect enough of each subtopic to be interesting and engaging without crossing the line and becoming dull and overbearing.<br /></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">9. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/04/validating-dispensation-postal-history.html" target="_blank">Validating a Dispensation</a></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iQohq8gYCQfnwNbNgqyjhoNWPye4cNSYjGl9gSnrVT6QrWz4GEu4Bm8_rw5fbwiEEwgaUDzxGpelqrri5rLbVKSifuCvNCQbWqfOa901sRDJwOGheZyPGrzWidnvL_gbqgm-pFnJu__c3lnGfOe0L99_VH1GwbE00AZRqgdaTtbxwIrzh6qScKQuDAXZ/s1452/RM23_toUS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1452" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iQohq8gYCQfnwNbNgqyjhoNWPye4cNSYjGl9gSnrVT6QrWz4GEu4Bm8_rw5fbwiEEwgaUDzxGpelqrri5rLbVKSifuCvNCQbWqfOa901sRDJwOGheZyPGrzWidnvL_gbqgm-pFnJu__c3lnGfOe0L99_VH1GwbE00AZRqgdaTtbxwIrzh6qScKQuDAXZ/w640-h412/RM23_toUS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4. Why couldn't the sender prepay all of the postage to send this letter to the US?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>And here is another entry that focuses on a single cover - this time from Rome to Baltimore in the 1850s. Yes, another cover is described in the article, but the point of its inclusion is to help us understand this one better.</p><p>I like this entry because it has a nice balance between the postal history and the social history. There's something for everyone - which makes it a good choice for this list. It also fell together fairly easily, which is rarely the case. There are typically a few points where everything hangs up and I have to fight through things. It's noteworthy when that doesn't happen AND the results also read well.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">8. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/05/valuable-real-estate-postal-history.html" target="_blank">Valuable Real Estate</a></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8RQrOMEfeksOM_69lleNbZvZ2tw0VUdJNMCkSIpN0qr-aTn8is27lYkcTpLyHmBKisgTjE_jfeFD8geopEB48bi7p3QN8gCdn4R82tUTvBkoy__OPWpvO54GmbV7qmwk5gDwORKIumENuZ_nfB8Botf8VFL67hNO6DxCwKsrZlEawTxuqYwhV_tXn7xb/s3756/crosswritingbackcontent1.tif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2359" data-original-width="3756" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8RQrOMEfeksOM_69lleNbZvZ2tw0VUdJNMCkSIpN0qr-aTn8is27lYkcTpLyHmBKisgTjE_jfeFD8geopEB48bi7p3QN8gCdn4R82tUTvBkoy__OPWpvO54GmbV7qmwk5gDwORKIumENuZ_nfB8Botf8VFL67hNO6DxCwKsrZlEawTxuqYwhV_tXn7xb/w640-h402/crosswritingbackcontent1.tif" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5. What were the possible reasons for people implementing cross-writing in letters?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Postal History Sunday entries that appear to succeed in being accessible to a broad audience often win my favor if I am trying to decide between two choices for the Author's Choice list. Everyone can probably relate to the idea of running out of space - just as the writer of this letter might have been feeling as they tried to put everything they could on a few sheets of paper. </p><p>I also enjoy taking advantage of opportunities to feed everyone some postal history facts and information while you are distracted by something like cross-writing. Or maybe I enjoy slipping in some social history while you are distracted by the postal history? Doesn't matter, I am happy either way.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">7. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/01/farm-palace-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">Farm Palace</a></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qUiXC30BB089_4NwmGR5wsw-WxVVLQzzxrl3B6hyr9RIvhuCEYvacFipkF5pvN3tvFDSPD71vNwASIXHvLd7ZhVxK_D8dizICpw9meVqHcPqlWNp9cH6TS9PQX1GBuHYnxdlF6uMdvA6cOWZ-NBbfGV-u37eZEobw6nv1S41gAYmevDiAMeCjJzxA5T4/s1074/barnandsteamtractor.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="1074" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qUiXC30BB089_4NwmGR5wsw-WxVVLQzzxrl3B6hyr9RIvhuCEYvacFipkF5pvN3tvFDSPD71vNwASIXHvLd7ZhVxK_D8dizICpw9meVqHcPqlWNp9cH6TS9PQX1GBuHYnxdlF6uMdvA6cOWZ-NBbfGV-u37eZEobw6nv1S41gAYmevDiAMeCjJzxA5T4/w400-h281/barnandsteamtractor.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6. How many plants did the Dickey Clay Mfg Co have at its peak?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Not every Postal History Sunday has a great deal of postal history in it. Sometimes, the social history rules the day. Regardless, the operative word is "history." </p><p>The journey for this article focuses around the advertising images on a mailed envelope instead of the postage rates required or the routes the letter took to get from here to there. I even got to do a little bit with local Iowa history this time around. I also appreciate the opportunity to find a link to my profession as a grower of food. Sometimes the personal connection lends more meaning - and with that meaning there is often better writing.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">6. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/10/correspondence-course-ii-postal-history.html" target="_blank">Correspondence Course II</a></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yMRxS-JCI4Y2MuZl_muP6FyoHeKRZwosWSwsRFfKvRAWLDY-D_QvFZPy3HXhuDC69mgipzlLngkYeV5bCOKCLC9x7lWd8zE07HGG7jZYUwCoh_Oxrsizup4x-eTCHWAoC4hvUO2cFvTzGLskuEufM-e_6UXZaJo9xav9xGF0QQm3r6Q0wqMQkFY36shj/s2622/OstendePrint1830ish.tif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2114" data-original-width="2622" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yMRxS-JCI4Y2MuZl_muP6FyoHeKRZwosWSwsRFfKvRAWLDY-D_QvFZPy3HXhuDC69mgipzlLngkYeV5bCOKCLC9x7lWd8zE07HGG7jZYUwCoh_Oxrsizup4x-eTCHWAoC4hvUO2cFvTzGLskuEufM-e_6UXZaJo9xav9xGF0QQm3r6Q0wqMQkFY36shj/w640-h516/OstendePrint1830ish.tif" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7. How did Belgium increase its importance for mail carriage in Europe?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Sometimes, I get the urge to write about something with more breadth rather than depth. I was able to accomplish that by focusing on several covers that were mailed to Luden and van Geuns in Amsterdam in the 1850s and 1860s. Instead of starting by analyzing a cover, this article introduces us to the people behind the business before taking the time to look at several covers they received while they were in business from locations all over Western Europe.</p><p>This particular article is an updated rewrite of an article I shared with the Postal History Journal a couple years before Postal History Sunday existed. Once again, I've learned a great deal since that time, so I like to think I've done the subject proud with a strong rewrite. <br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">5. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/04/night-flight-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">Night Flight</a></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUdAtt1d6vtHKjBbTe3r9fRbXmbEJaJMml4J6Nb_jXQ9t7iS8jfukQCRwGTj-xgUGa-8APT3B3fub__tCCBWOV2hvhJ-t24AkHQj1Qpwe_E4ynU6BGQE4wV7IfFw8ACheGkINdg3_ZNwxdMa7Nr3As7jGW-O81iHbJ9IGu5uM8lrFGvhOjuM4WQjOB5aM/s741/lightsonplane1924.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="741" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUdAtt1d6vtHKjBbTe3r9fRbXmbEJaJMml4J6Nb_jXQ9t7iS8jfukQCRwGTj-xgUGa-8APT3B3fub__tCCBWOV2hvhJ-t24AkHQj1Qpwe_E4ynU6BGQE4wV7IfFw8ACheGkINdg3_ZNwxdMa7Nr3As7jGW-O81iHbJ9IGu5uM8lrFGvhOjuM4WQjOB5aM/w400-h286/lightsonplane1924.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8. How long might a letter take to travel from the East to West Coast via surface mail in the 1920s?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The Author's Choice blog is a chance for me to celebrate (more for myself than for you) a little bit of flexibility in my own writing and learning. For example, it would certainly be far easier for me to write Postal History Sunday entries that focused entirely on the covers that bear the 24-cent 1861 postage stamp. Or, at the least, stick to the 1850-1875 time period where I am most comfortable. But, I often select entries that range further afield from that comfort zone.<br /></p><p>That's why an article that features air mail in the United States during the 1920s was an enjoyable stretch for me. There are all sorts of resources available for the early development of air mail, so it's not as if it was horribly difficult to find answers. But, even when information is freely available, familiarity (or lack thereof) plays a significant role when it comes to writing clearly and accurately. I think I did pretty well with this one, even if I do not profess to be an expert on the material, so it gets to be on this list.<br /></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">4. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/10/humbug-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">Humbug!</a></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXXqjYFPN3X3sxbSw6yBPJc7cA-WLpEChq_svnC0_aNOtb7GUA_ALjAAcUpqD8K9wwzvPeNtMUQ-OXS6K7P9I8m4K9hcliBjfMWQF6cj-WmCJo5o1_AOvaljQMtvJWPFEkv7_GsDaWKCmAPCNUp0TFDcN0XiNY-wTzrXxuuYzUERt6TrIZbPEktnG046x/s439/humbug.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="439" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXXqjYFPN3X3sxbSw6yBPJc7cA-WLpEChq_svnC0_aNOtb7GUA_ALjAAcUpqD8K9wwzvPeNtMUQ-OXS6K7P9I8m4K9hcliBjfMWQF6cj-WmCJo5o1_AOvaljQMtvJWPFEkv7_GsDaWKCmAPCNUp0TFDcN0XiNY-wTzrXxuuYzUERt6TrIZbPEktnG046x/s320/humbug.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9. What percent of items found their way out of the Dead Letter Office in the US?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Sometimes, I get a feeling about an item and I just know there's going to be something enjoyable to write about. This is one of those cases. As soon as I noticed the word "Humbug" boldly written on this cover, I just had to explore. The result is a an entertaining blog article that falls deep into the subject of dead letter mail - a postal history subject that can quickly become complex but is always interesting. And the idea of undeliverable letters is something we can all relate to - which makes the topic very accessible to most readers.<br /></p><p>Another way I can tell this was a good blog was the fact that I continued to be motivated to learn more even after the article was "complete." As a matter of fact, there's <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/11/more-to-say-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">more humbuggery in this follow up</a> Postal History Sunday. Maybe, someday, we'll see a third installment where I put all of that and some new discoveries together? I don't know. I guess we'll find out together.<br /></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">3. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/11/dutch-treat-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">Dutch Treat</a></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MNuawApew8ST3b3HgcCAwbrPWzn3yt8YrBtjITACaw_fs26HuIzX7OEzxspXRj6H_o71efQzSNN-wDbh0XD8ZZGclqTNr7n741ij8YfblZYC-sG4QSdkfkCZIVyYJz0uvpdIUBHqg6ZY-2tzV9Y3euv79iXzA0uamMw1Pn1ATjSbVknj-qvWvIejfSZF/s1652/Netherlands.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1652" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MNuawApew8ST3b3HgcCAwbrPWzn3yt8YrBtjITACaw_fs26HuIzX7OEzxspXRj6H_o71efQzSNN-wDbh0XD8ZZGclqTNr7n741ij8YfblZYC-sG4QSdkfkCZIVyYJz0uvpdIUBHqg6ZY-2tzV9Y3euv79iXzA0uamMw1Pn1ATjSbVknj-qvWvIejfSZF/w640-h358/Netherlands.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10. How long was the 27 cent postage rate for mail from the US to the Netherlands active?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>It never seems to fail. Each time I have done the year-end Author's Choice article for Postal History Sunday, there are three that I struggle to order. On any given day, I might change my mind about where each of these three land. I feel like that is a good sign because it indicates to me that there is some consistency in the quality of my writing (you can decide whether it's a good or bad consistency).</p><p>I received a comment regarding this particular entry that it gives a good perspective as to why some postal rates are common while others are not. I must admit that my goal was a bit more simple at first. I wanted to explore why it was that I had to look so long to find any example of this 27 cent rate from the US to the Netherlands. But, as I dug into the topic, it felt natural to compare and contrast some of the options for mail between the two countries at the time.<br /></p><p>But, there is actually one more reason why I like this Postal History Sunday article. It felt, to me, like I had unlocked a fresh way to write about this material - a slightly different way to view it. It might not seem all that different to you, and that's fine. But I found some fresh perspective about how to explore things and that means something when you try to write something new each week.<br /></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">2. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/07/guano-wars-postal-history-sunday.html">Guano Wars</a></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMS14-jtJm55qC4vMiemXAui732uj3ud1lSFT__eB2bj_hZ5CRtWaG0xOgNjM7ttqNrlPll2drSX48gqWpvPNigT2WaR224867fhS87DwzglSvvge4Lu1kfOWJl9sBaHWmq3k4rmbFmeFnFhmLnyKDZC3SV-dixy4tT1mKCIRx_-2ZuSLgtGRPxIREJoA/s800/chinchaloadguano.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="704" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMS14-jtJm55qC4vMiemXAui732uj3ud1lSFT__eB2bj_hZ5CRtWaG0xOgNjM7ttqNrlPll2drSX48gqWpvPNigT2WaR224867fhS87DwzglSvvge4Lu1kfOWJl9sBaHWmq3k4rmbFmeFnFhmLnyKDZC3SV-dixy4tT1mKCIRx_-2ZuSLgtGRPxIREJoA/s320/chinchaloadguano.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11. Why was Chincha Island important to the US and Europe in the 1860s?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>This Postal History Sunday is actually one that I've been sitting on for a few years. I've done some research on and off and written a little bit here and there on the topic. But that writing did not get to the point where I pushed the "publish" button unless it was supplementary information for another PHS topic.</p><p>That's part of how this blog has worked over the past three and a half years. Most topics are explored over time and the knowledge gets refined as I learn more. Sometimes, I'll write on a topic and publish it fairly quickly - producing a reasonably good article. Other times, I might publish something and then find it lacking when I review a year or two later. That's when I let myself re-write what is written. Then, there are topics like this one - where I just don't want to share it until it gets closer to where I ultimately want it to go.</p><p>This particular blog connects my profession as a grower of food to postal history and the history of a region that we often ignore in the United States (the west coast of South America). It would not surprise me if I decided to take this particular topic even further in the future.<br /></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">1. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/08/forward-and-mystery-of-joseph-cooper.html" target="_blank">Forward! and the Mystery of Joseph Cooper</a></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YvUOB6TLUTm6l7_ObKIdX4DCkC3TAZOgGWLvX0JLsz2P-IzT9ZS-IbuxOrQLlzgcxt16-ng0g12Udb_K9uC2qv6tGU0nJh5_bCYClZZBOlrLevMWbkgA7wJf6Bd3H36LtEx8D2X93Xco70wv0wA5bOufODE5GgeZrKi5ht2lsYUhls_Bo2gdHUG6Ew4s/s1000/fortlaramie1867.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="1000" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YvUOB6TLUTm6l7_ObKIdX4DCkC3TAZOgGWLvX0JLsz2P-IzT9ZS-IbuxOrQLlzgcxt16-ng0g12Udb_K9uC2qv6tGU0nJh5_bCYClZZBOlrLevMWbkgA7wJf6Bd3H36LtEx8D2X93Xco70wv0wA5bOufODE5GgeZrKi5ht2lsYUhls_Bo2gdHUG6Ew4s/w640-h170/fortlaramie1867.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12. What happened to Joseph Cooper?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Then there are articles that come together in the matter of a couple of weeks. And, oddly enough this time around, I actually started this particular Postal History Sunday for the prior week and got to a point where I knew there was too much. So, I found a <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/08/forward-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">stopping point for that blog </a>and left a teaser at the end of it for this one!</p><p>This is the only time out of 176 PHS articles that I stopped writing a blog and then still published what I had - only to follow up with something more the next week. But, it worked. I was able to ride the momentum from the prior week, using that energy to track down Joseph Cooper as best as I was able. I even infected my lovely bride, Tammy, with the search and she helped track some information down too.<br /></p><p>This particular entry explores a postal history topic in some detail (forwarded mail) while also taking a look at the social history surrounding not one, but two different people. The trick was to find enough so I could write something that was compelling while, once again, avoiding the temptation of writing too much. I don't know if this one succeeded as well as some of the others did, but the enjoyment of the search stood out for me in this blog - and that's why it lands at number one this year!<br /></p><p>And there you are, my list for 2023. I hope you enjoyed this and the blogs I linked here. Have a fine remainder of your weekend and an excellent week to come.</p><p>-------------------<br /></p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-59111344699086846772023-12-24T05:30:00.309-06:002023-12-24T08:57:15.898-06:00Eight Tiny Reindeer? - Postal History Sunday<p>It's hard for me to believe that we are now deep into December -
Christmas Eve to be exact. After weeks of rushing around trying to do
everything all at once, we find ourselves preparing to spend some
quality time with family. And since that's exactly what I want to be
doing, it seemed right to just have a little fun with this week's Postal
History Sunday.</p><p>Last year, we did <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2022/12/twelve-covers-for-christmas-postal.html" target="_blank">Twelve Covers for a Christmas Postal History Sunday</a>.
This year, we're going to do one for each reindeer. If you're looking
for me to be super clever with my selections as they line up with
reindeer name, it's not going to happen this time around. And, I
probably won't dig too deep into any one topic. But, that doesn't mean
we can't still have a little fun.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Cupid</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXzEhkbJOQzMLgfuQFmmTZ5JZJGuq5BEAVrbSIQ-3hiNwH1Ku4IzSBpfucxNLdu6T-SX6Hz6_-vWx7q7Ny77ByK8NapVFFMd_H2vbHyT51G20dwVQAAG-PgVG6zGI2MqHTaiNEW3aDt6qvMK2D6QhD2VHiwjSoea5h6gTVqsPAcIYanbYwD_WTzQTJ8qg/s892/2centtinyvalentine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="892" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXzEhkbJOQzMLgfuQFmmTZ5JZJGuq5BEAVrbSIQ-3hiNwH1Ku4IzSBpfucxNLdu6T-SX6Hz6_-vWx7q7Ny77ByK8NapVFFMd_H2vbHyT51G20dwVQAAG-PgVG6zGI2MqHTaiNEW3aDt6qvMK2D6QhD2VHiwjSoea5h6gTVqsPAcIYanbYwD_WTzQTJ8qg/w640-h602/2centtinyvalentine.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Ok,
maybe I'll try to a be a little bit clever with my first selection.
Here is a simple letter mailed within the United States. The postage
rate was 2 cents at the time, so this tiny envelope was properly paid to
get to Mrs. Alvin Hill in Ames, Iowa. There aren't any particular
clues about where this was mailed, though it could very well have been
mailed in Ames.</p><p>Collectors often enjoy finding the smallest
envelopes that were properly and successfully mailed. While this is
certainly not the smallest I have seen, it is small enough. And, in
this case, I also have the contents - a tiny card featuring Cupid!</p><p>No, not the reindeer. But Cupid nonetheless. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir477sl6Sp8CinRPebZeMwiOOIEXeVsyHaXePS0VxBQVDO08revjQ2qSH9bTd57-0goxfEBL-0gWwsdO5A6qbf78RIT7D7Kk4b1El9F3ds4lqRGJMop7bhcQaC0RNRdnQ2reuCXTgkxRGzwXedPMOpRN3TwGckrFw7nni8m3TzTK5zSHszH5qH3BShGoJg/s840/2centtinyvalentineenclosure.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="752" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir477sl6Sp8CinRPebZeMwiOOIEXeVsyHaXePS0VxBQVDO08revjQ2qSH9bTd57-0goxfEBL-0gWwsdO5A6qbf78RIT7D7Kk4b1El9F3ds4lqRGJMop7bhcQaC0RNRdnQ2reuCXTgkxRGzwXedPMOpRN3TwGckrFw7nni8m3TzTK5zSHszH5qH3BShGoJg/s320/2centtinyvalentineenclosure.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><p></p><p>Perhaps
this particular cover might have been a better selection to share in
February, but when I've got to come up with eight covers to share and I
look at one that directly links to the name of one of Santa's reindeer, I
must use it.</p><p>Well, at least that's how I felt. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzGUFLEbKfr0TMo0cY0ODCQIVnBZK4FaPD6iuT_b8E60CtZR3ZtyZplpIFNaD_4CNsxUp6gFgPAYtaoBcj75_3LkTtAl-pB_SHNxrIxKaC-AKvZNk3adzKSRVuPF7rJHXGw3ebDwSshe4x79ZSycnbGLjvqUVL9qlcirqAgwnhuuuD9x3XnoYIbhyzOPp/s1496/2centtinyvalentineenclosure2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1496" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzGUFLEbKfr0TMo0cY0ODCQIVnBZK4FaPD6iuT_b8E60CtZR3ZtyZplpIFNaD_4CNsxUp6gFgPAYtaoBcj75_3LkTtAl-pB_SHNxrIxKaC-AKvZNk3adzKSRVuPF7rJHXGw3ebDwSshe4x79ZSycnbGLjvqUVL9qlcirqAgwnhuuuD9x3XnoYIbhyzOPp/w400-h219/2centtinyvalentineenclosure2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I'm
not going to vouch for the quality of the verse in this tiny card as I
do not claim to be a poet of any sort. Still, I am not certain a
person scores points for rhyming "umbrella" and "fella" in a
Valentine. </p><p>I prefer harmony to discord, so I am
hopeful that Mrs. Alvin Hill wasn't a poetry critic and found the
little card to be charming. Apparently someone did (or perhaps it was just amusing), because this little
letter was likely mailed some time in the early 1920s and it has
survived one hundred years.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dasher</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPXJ4dJ2OzOhVwW7lMlaqdTcrVItSvOr4ytQLfhhaRt653iGal0iGIyrcs7SJlukIwZFYRuUt7HOtmDYQv2YptRd0KOyMDPvB8_21pFVCZ3u0LbGf_FYTdfmROn2SzG_xyiOG-_3MFtBfwjpTsS0ML_iLEahhxmKLZ3fiFiql_GbWY-xgmp7rRm2w4ZCA/s1688/GB62_toFranceL1.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1688" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPXJ4dJ2OzOhVwW7lMlaqdTcrVItSvOr4ytQLfhhaRt653iGal0iGIyrcs7SJlukIwZFYRuUt7HOtmDYQv2YptRd0KOyMDPvB8_21pFVCZ3u0LbGf_FYTdfmROn2SzG_xyiOG-_3MFtBfwjpTsS0ML_iLEahhxmKLZ3fiFiql_GbWY-xgmp7rRm2w4ZCA/w640-h402/GB62_toFranceL1.tif" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>It
wasn't too difficult to think of multiple options when it came to
Dasher. Business correspondence often was sent with a certain sense of
urgency, just as this letter from London to Lyon, France, likely was in
1871. </p><p>Mailed in London on August 8, it arrived on the 10th in
Lyon - which is certainly quite timely. However, this letter was not
taken to the mailing office before the mails closed for the day. That's
part of the reason why there is a big, bold "L1" in a box on this
cover.<br /></p><p>Post offices adhered to schedules that were based on
the departure times for the transportation systems that carried the mail
to and from those locations. So, for example, if the train that was to
carry the mail from London to Dover (where it would then cross the
English Channel on a steamship) was to depart the station at 10 PM, the
mails to depart on that train would close at some point prior to that to
allow the postal workers to properly prepare the mail and get it to
that station.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLKgxfRovqAsR9dEgenDtZ_VbHolxS1gQGcJ0OmScM46-0lJQ3M1G-rL7nJ9wLDAu8TXvZwWw2P8ZgmIkRrDYuhHSp8AaZWDKb1tSGB0v1oaycdai08tOKMSISKfYONMzZnjl9QHmhzQ5lQde-KWAj7-ppd1QqV9niBJZ9O92XkbunJToS4DZxW8Q0uKi/s545/threadneedlestreet.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="545" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLKgxfRovqAsR9dEgenDtZ_VbHolxS1gQGcJ0OmScM46-0lJQ3M1G-rL7nJ9wLDAu8TXvZwWw2P8ZgmIkRrDYuhHSp8AaZWDKb1tSGB0v1oaycdai08tOKMSISKfYONMzZnjl9QHmhzQ5lQde-KWAj7-ppd1QqV9niBJZ9O92XkbunJToS4DZxW8Q0uKi/w400-h214/threadneedlestreet.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>For
the sake of making a clear example of it, let's say this London East Central (EC) post
office closed the mails to France at 9 PM so it could be ready to go on
the 10 PM train. Now imagine the poor clerk from Truninger &
Company at 41 Threadneedle Street rushing to get to Saint Marten's
LeGrand where the East Central London Post Office was located before the
mail closes. They enter the lobby, possibly a little out of breath,
and see the window to receive mail to France... closed. </p><p>The good
news for this clerk was that, for a fee, this letter could still go out
with the 10PM train. That fee was one penny more.</p><p>Two stamps
were placed on the letter. One for 3 pence and the other for 4 pence.
The price for mail to France was 3 pence per 1/4 ounce. So, this letter
must have weighed over 1/4 ounce and no more than 1/2 ounce. Six pence
for the letter rate and one more penny to pay for a late fee. Just so
this letter could meet the 10 PM train.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LKIJEfg8dFqew7wD6lkBBPdlC1u86GEapMveRMR6OM2flDKLNl1yS3F6TlTuvmVhPsuE2JkqDrx7IC42CMBkSO-qgXRMi6IlCsWXO9d7xFj3oob17VGOAJRUoJR-0krLzNpzYw_ahyyMR6ofjOYg8B3bKLtWmzaRfidW1n9jEC9KCiTf3QILfw5b95Nq/s414/truningerfailure1885TheChronicleJan171885p83.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="414" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LKIJEfg8dFqew7wD6lkBBPdlC1u86GEapMveRMR6OM2flDKLNl1yS3F6TlTuvmVhPsuE2JkqDrx7IC42CMBkSO-qgXRMi6IlCsWXO9d7xFj3oob17VGOAJRUoJR-0krLzNpzYw_ahyyMR6ofjOYg8B3bKLtWmzaRfidW1n9jEC9KCiTf3QILfw5b95Nq/s320/truningerfailure1885TheChronicleJan171885p83.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Truninger
and Company were exchange merchants and according to this
clipping from the January 17, 1885 Hunt's Merchants' Magazine, they
became insolvent after 40 years of business in 1885, fourteen years after this letter was sent.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dancer</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_aS8VV370_fHJhEPXHeFYuk3LR8Hs_lg74RaKzmCSnXI2pk2_6SGvoJ-pYTyDjBnPgwy7o_OcwWA6rsM2SEhFrvOxBQ1je0087hHrVRNDEoTRX1CIB9fTOkJ5oShr4-LLM6BwGl2tzVDJ-Pp7-Tun91VMX7Fx4iy6OjujPkywzzB_Pt1Hvu-Sd0-gzDi/s1039/transmiss2centtiny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1039" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_aS8VV370_fHJhEPXHeFYuk3LR8Hs_lg74RaKzmCSnXI2pk2_6SGvoJ-pYTyDjBnPgwy7o_OcwWA6rsM2SEhFrvOxBQ1je0087hHrVRNDEoTRX1CIB9fTOkJ5oShr4-LLM6BwGl2tzVDJ-Pp7-Tun91VMX7Fx4iy6OjujPkywzzB_Pt1Hvu-Sd0-gzDi/w640-h422/transmiss2centtiny.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Well,
look! Another tiny reindeer... er... cover. This one was mailed on
January 1, 1899 at Binghamton, New York to Liberty Falls (also New
York). Once again, the 2 cent rate for letter mail was in effect for
this letter as it was for our first one.</p><p>Sadly, this time I have
no contents. I also have no other reason to share this other than the
fact that it is a tiny cover to hold a spot for one of the eight tiny
reindeer.</p><p>For those who are wondering what "Sull. Co." at the
bottom left refers to, you might initially think - as I did - that this
might be a reference to a company, just as our second item had a
handstamp for Truninger and Co on Threadneedle Street in London. But,
this time, you would be incorrect. Liberty Falls is in <b>Sull</b>ivan <b>Co</b>unty
in New York.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Vixen</span></b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPEtS3eZ0CkYHoHIy9H8nqLyIamg0FA4KPfJTvwmDqVow_DqEVs4ewDe1mnA-TkWw5IgLSSEfjozW3m04dEoYTWJAOIDA90VN2d5OXkgGFUiMOsTc3JwvyJpiwUW-iwPEWBjEV_cM8BcdCSuFhF18rF0PbFEUrSzu1-f3tKN9d8wTOtWsrAqW6Cl-CCWi/s1512/droponecentcarriermisperfgrill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="1512" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPEtS3eZ0CkYHoHIy9H8nqLyIamg0FA4KPfJTvwmDqVow_DqEVs4ewDe1mnA-TkWw5IgLSSEfjozW3m04dEoYTWJAOIDA90VN2d5OXkgGFUiMOsTc3JwvyJpiwUW-iwPEWBjEV_cM8BcdCSuFhF18rF0PbFEUrSzu1-f3tKN9d8wTOtWsrAqW6Cl-CCWi/w640-h350/droponecentcarriermisperfgrill.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br />Here
is a letter mailed in the 1860s in Camden, New York, for a recipient in
Camden. The one cent stamp paid the rate for what was known as a
"drop letter." The basic idea was that if a person went to the town
post office and dropped a letter there for someone else to pick up, it
should not cost the same as a letter that traveled hundreds of miles to
another post office location in the United States (3 cents), nor should
it cost the same as a letter that would be taken by a carrier to the
addressee (2 cents).</p><p>This letter was
likely sent in 1868, when the 1 cent drop letter rate was effective for
towns that did not have any carrier delivery service. In those towns
everyone came to the post office to pick up their mail.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2otkWsQ9Rq4e5IfSrPnLCLVkPddRyRwV2bTz3E6wskUWiUv8te-kMYH0dawXePpitq2wNdNhk_3YGbc-2rFroJye78nUw-PUZudZai4QplzCHyYfbBaQEo504UDoKEBmEq6-6HKw1HBR9IRsafumSoa8S1iTfLDvM1ihi_A1pVM3uZwMZM5Y2v67369R/s340/egrillpaperfold.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="340" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2otkWsQ9Rq4e5IfSrPnLCLVkPddRyRwV2bTz3E6wskUWiUv8te-kMYH0dawXePpitq2wNdNhk_3YGbc-2rFroJye78nUw-PUZudZai4QplzCHyYfbBaQEo504UDoKEBmEq6-6HKw1HBR9IRsafumSoa8S1iTfLDvM1ihi_A1pVM3uZwMZM5Y2v67369R/s320/egrillpaperfold.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /></div><p></p><p>While
this particular cover is not a "big deal" for its postal history, it
does have something sneaky interesting going on (just like a fox, eh...
get it? Vixen? Fox? No? Ok, never mind).</p><p>The postage stamp on
this cover is an example that the production of postage stamps was not
always perfect. This sheet of stamps must have gotten hung up somehow
in the machine that punched holes to make the perforations that allowed
easy separation of one stamp on a sheet from the others. Instead of a
nice rectangular stamp, you can see that the bottom and right
perforations are askew. </p><p>There's even a stray perforation at the top right.<br /></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Prancer</span></b> <br /></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZ64A94c9SDjPaVLOyZESMmIdWTdN0CzoxeIHR4F_XS5nTeYzNXxxrTZxYfw4UL7F2Lc8D-gdk9yh7On2mB3Ixk6TeTvtJBNWMJTRBS30jvfcLlN-r5qLb1772Y3jqZ1UQzo9hDWU0VaofCr3WiAONEFi4jNlTV_PoiUGa28g8Zqzyb5H4P_nfew6lYFw/s1718/1864BuffaloPatentCommissionMcht.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="1718" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZ64A94c9SDjPaVLOyZESMmIdWTdN0CzoxeIHR4F_XS5nTeYzNXxxrTZxYfw4UL7F2Lc8D-gdk9yh7On2mB3Ixk6TeTvtJBNWMJTRBS30jvfcLlN-r5qLb1772Y3jqZ1UQzo9hDWU0VaofCr3WiAONEFi4jNlTV_PoiUGa28g8Zqzyb5H4P_nfew6lYFw/w640-h374/1864BuffaloPatentCommissionMcht.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />Here's
a letter that was sent from Buffalo, New York on May 17, 1864 to
Albany. This cover was picked up from a post office box rather than
delivered to the addressee in Albany. All you have to note is the "Box
713" that appears at the bottom of the address panel to get that
confirmation. </p><p>The idea of a post office box was an innovation
that allowed those who were willing to pay rent for a box to avoid lines
at the General Delivery window to check if they had mail. The first
locked wooden mailbox door designed for customers to pick up their mail by opening that box
was created in 1857.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABY5aJiw3C93L9DhVumZJoP7OnrUQdbaXr1nHBAqIxsZEFxENk5oC8vJwHOWJHsLu1lmW1kmtcC3RLXpmetmNGBvtPjiZx7zYjuyVmpAGP2D0bsYk5yLqKsct3ZaZ6rjomyJ3Tuvbe6ZoLw7BLm4EQQGOqRsHhXCWNybtWiSY7ac2MxkS9lT9clEO0QPH/s300/1864BuffaloPatentCommissionMchtcancel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABY5aJiw3C93L9DhVumZJoP7OnrUQdbaXr1nHBAqIxsZEFxENk5oC8vJwHOWJHsLu1lmW1kmtcC3RLXpmetmNGBvtPjiZx7zYjuyVmpAGP2D0bsYk5yLqKsct3ZaZ6rjomyJ3Tuvbe6ZoLw7BLm4EQQGOqRsHhXCWNybtWiSY7ac2MxkS9lT9clEO0QPH/s1600/1864BuffaloPatentCommissionMchtcancel.jpg" width="300" /></a> <br /></div><p></p><p>Also
of interest on this particular cover is the interesting cancellation
that was used to deface the postage stamp so it could not be reused.
For a short while, cancellation devices with cutting edges or punches
were used in a few post offices, including Buffalo. If you look
closely, you can see that the thin, center circle in this cancellation
does cut a bit into the paper of the stamp.</p><p>The biggest difficulty
with these cancellation devices, in addition to possible damage to the
contents, was how quickly they became dull. Collectors of stamps and
postal history typically refer to these as <a href="http://chronicle.uspcs.org/pdf/Chronicle_163/11503.pdf" target="_blank">patent cancellations</a>.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Comet</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPOJTm-iUunySUCtLM9vUGWIgacAgAm8_HYuPjC9ofqYIfhBd5qdwGGz7VNYcWNhPUp4Dodbdar6OKNunwobn47o2-OlojYNYwIX52xd-5M-sGsRGr2LxuAIZacqHSJxJJsedaY7O1s3aMj9tjy3MPWlRJsI5CYf3d6yMn253L3O49M93Jz6Mfrv-xJPY/s3238/RM22_toSwitzerlandletter3.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3238" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPOJTm-iUunySUCtLM9vUGWIgacAgAm8_HYuPjC9ofqYIfhBd5qdwGGz7VNYcWNhPUp4Dodbdar6OKNunwobn47o2-OlojYNYwIX52xd-5M-sGsRGr2LxuAIZacqHSJxJJsedaY7O1s3aMj9tjy3MPWlRJsI5CYf3d6yMn253L3O49M93Jz6Mfrv-xJPY/w504-h640/RM22_toSwitzerlandletter3.tif" width="504" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>And
here is a reminder to us all that postal history items are not always
nice, neat and easy to figure out. The item shown above is written on
thin, tissue-like paper - probably to keep the weight low enough to
prevent the letter from getting too heavy (and requiring more
postage). </p><p>Like many of us, the letter writer started writing as
if they had plenty of space, but eventually found that they had much
more to say than they had figured. As a result, they began to cram more
and more into smaller spaces. In the end, the letter looked like this
when it was mailed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvy3_fugW_mbsjoH8PGiioktnYTdu3g3xr5eZKUkFtC6yj48W_W5tVAD-OcNc4vR2WTo_yNOcBppXNMkIzN8l_2a5eJGaPRRsjsAVbTRFPakiXX_vU75of7anBK-U7LTJjzbezFCnBXFAGClzYTzuqiRXy3L3lp6UISvFhWnjSymlmVBt-16ALR8N2fUt/s1515/RM22_toSwitzerland.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1515" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvy3_fugW_mbsjoH8PGiioktnYTdu3g3xr5eZKUkFtC6yj48W_W5tVAD-OcNc4vR2WTo_yNOcBppXNMkIzN8l_2a5eJGaPRRsjsAVbTRFPakiXX_vU75of7anBK-U7LTJjzbezFCnBXFAGClzYTzuqiRXy3L3lp6UISvFhWnjSymlmVBt-16ALR8N2fUt/w640-h292/RM22_toSwitzerland.tif" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>This
letter was mailed on March 30, 1857 from Rome in the Papal States.
Twelve bajocchi in postage were applied in the form of two stamps, which
was apparently enough for this letter to be properly paid to get to
Geneva, Switzerland. There are three indicators that this was the
case. The red "PD" in a box, the red "Franco" and the red "X" all tell
the same story.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Donner</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkFR9h6rd1_RNhAtdUvZKm0uBb_UZawHAbxwnBlqzuiTHbAuVTb5WiRMvGcOaRW6RKu3UKu-DE1wC4zN5PfltEUZjkUUcO-BUZVMMrfz0sY_3ygNxqjheMn7Ojo0XeaI6Pe1lh1Z2rHCSQAG_h9Fdzpk8jP7N0_XbtnJd1rGdqgNxI1XnF35MTX_WFNrG/s1588/SZ29_toEnglandstrubel.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1588" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkFR9h6rd1_RNhAtdUvZKm0uBb_UZawHAbxwnBlqzuiTHbAuVTb5WiRMvGcOaRW6RKu3UKu-DE1wC4zN5PfltEUZjkUUcO-BUZVMMrfz0sY_3ygNxqjheMn7Ojo0XeaI6Pe1lh1Z2rHCSQAG_h9Fdzpk8jP7N0_XbtnJd1rGdqgNxI1XnF35MTX_WFNrG/w640-h420/SZ29_toEnglandstrubel.tif" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here's
a cover that I think is a pretty example of mail from Basel,
Switzerland to London in 1859. There are two stamps paying the 60
rappen rate for mail to England via France. The letter crossed into
France at St Louis, went through Paris and eventually found it's way to
London - taking three days to get there.</p><p>Now, if you look closely
at the ink flourish under the word "London," you might notice that the
paper is eroding there. In fact, you might notice some small areas in
the address where the paper is also gone.</p><p>This ink is probably
iron gall ink, which does, over time, eat into the paper on which it was
applied. If you are interested in a brief introduction to some of the
history of inks, you can try <a href="https://www.historytoday.com/history-matters/history-ink-six-objects" target="_blank">this relatively short summary</a> by Lydia Pyne.</p><p>And,
I know I told you I wasn't going to try to be too clever with my
choices - but can anyone guess now why I chose this one to go with
Donner?</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Blitzen </span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L43x677k-CoUeQDaLzXj8yqgFtkAeytb316koFyAU3zN2AbdIknDPYajkoZ1DLZ8VvhZ5tuFF2-ZFozznhBm94V9YscxfJ12sP3Y5AdH52BYOG4pIStBMlhC8drB6ySxTLVdflDZUy_v-QrxnHAYgSRBrM3F_jyVbn8iaOLDF1iQ4tepLBTDjIj3ttgz/s1834/Germanyeilbotennichtnachts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1426" data-original-width="1834" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L43x677k-CoUeQDaLzXj8yqgFtkAeytb316koFyAU3zN2AbdIknDPYajkoZ1DLZ8VvhZ5tuFF2-ZFozznhBm94V9YscxfJ12sP3Y5AdH52BYOG4pIStBMlhC8drB6ySxTLVdflDZUy_v-QrxnHAYgSRBrM3F_jyVbn8iaOLDF1iQ4tepLBTDjIj3ttgz/w640-h498/Germanyeilbotennichtnachts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Blitzen
gets to show off an internal German letter mailed in 1916 and we're
focusing on both the red label and the purple printing at the top of
this envelope. This letter had an extra fee paid for express courier
delivery to this cigarette fabricator. Both the label and the purple
printed instructions tell us this.</p><p>But, an additional instruction
at top left says "Nicht Nachts!" - which told the post that a night time
delivery was not wanted for this item.</p><p>So, while they were in a
hurry to get that letter to the recipient, it was likely that no one would be
present to receive the letter during the night time hours. Or
perhaps, Blitzen didn't have a glowing red nose so he couldn't find the
right spot until morning?<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rudolph </span></b></p><p>Did you actually think I would leave out the ninth tiny reindeer?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4BioJu3Q7ZPsAE7YAsq-zoH1MZPDZD5S3FcREqBykMa3nQxRLJ10iH23HdpcYvyDijkPJ2sYvicsNW9bpAhTkUMf6tF7iPovooI4v9c_ldCeFxPM2ee0pmOXdZcDnjEeBNpHzEiWKoVdTNgpJtxwnHL8UrqPyyzz3fKoK9kKkYBBdpqDCNFa3OSaI9Ky/s1643/norway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1643" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4BioJu3Q7ZPsAE7YAsq-zoH1MZPDZD5S3FcREqBykMa3nQxRLJ10iH23HdpcYvyDijkPJ2sYvicsNW9bpAhTkUMf6tF7iPovooI4v9c_ldCeFxPM2ee0pmOXdZcDnjEeBNpHzEiWKoVdTNgpJtxwnHL8UrqPyyzz3fKoK9kKkYBBdpqDCNFa3OSaI9Ky/w640-h364/norway.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Of
course, my Rudolph features a 24 cent US stamp from the 1861 series.
This time, it shares a cover with a 10 cent and 12 cent stamp, paying 46
cents for a letter from the US to Bergen, Norway.</p><p>Merry Christmas
to you all! And, if you don't celebrate Christmas, I wish for you all
the blessings that are appropriate for you and yours.</p><p>------------------------------ <br /></p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>. </span>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-38962652706640577012023-12-17T05:30:00.098-06:002023-12-17T05:30:00.140-06:00Too Hyper - Postal History Sunday<p></p><p>Welcome again to Postal History Sunday!<br /></p><p>For
those who may be unfamiliar with Postal History Sunday, I thought it might be time to give a brief re-introduction this
week.
The GFF Postal History blog started as a place where I could work on
various postal history projects and perhaps, eventually, share them with
others. But, when the pandemic took hold in 2020, I felt it was a way to reach out to others and share something I enjoy - perhaps helping those who read what I wrote some sense of connection or a point of interest to counter feelings of isolation.<br /></p><p>Postal History Sunday became a regular weekly post in
August of 2020. My goal has always been to allow persons who don't have expertise in these
topics a chance to see why I find these pieces of paper so interesting.
At the same time, I hope to be able to provide some tidbits of
information to other postal historians that may be of interest to them.
The hobby has a wide range of sub-topics and there is always something
new to learn.</p><p>If I do it right, a wide range of people should find
these posts enjoyable. If all else fails, I typically find that I
learn something new - and that makes me happy.</p><p>Now, pack those troubles and worries away for a time and let's see what we have in store for us this week.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBfSq13rJCGPzaa_eZKtzY4f9Wp_0k3mrT2yy8VJXluEfvK6T9nVQ2GRBwB7A_K9SU2mTy2Kr74nfrf_qP2l2MdELo4Jxua8A1FwA-Bd5IMLQrYcM0t7-D3mtzr4cuHUk_a9KtGoEVBU/s1824/germinflanew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1488" data-original-width="1824" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBfSq13rJCGPzaa_eZKtzY4f9Wp_0k3mrT2yy8VJXluEfvK6T9nVQ2GRBwB7A_K9SU2mTy2Kr74nfrf_qP2l2MdELo4Jxua8A1FwA-Bd5IMLQrYcM0t7-D3mtzr4cuHUk_a9KtGoEVBU/w640-h522/germinflanew.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Today I am going to start with an item that was mailed on September 12, 1923, in Hanau, Germany to Saarbrucken. It's really a bit of an ugly duckling and I am guessing some of the postal historians out there are wondering why I would give it a home. For those of you who are not postal historians, you're probably wondering the same thing. But you wonder about that for everything I show in these blogs anyway, don't you?</p><p>Well, I won't keep you in suspense for long. Instead, I'll just show you whats on the back.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvM18vUttf-2OU70IzWxTYy5cQbX0HvPJcD79un_f0mRW_wcTG1EV392CrdaGFLzqZGj3jmBn-8ku5Fs4h7U-o9Ej0EwbF4F_klthDZyvINuc5-_WVDg33PPBouTSHDM3Rt452oduW-4/s1824/germinflanewback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1488" data-original-width="1824" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvM18vUttf-2OU70IzWxTYy5cQbX0HvPJcD79un_f0mRW_wcTG1EV392CrdaGFLzqZGj3jmBn-8ku5Fs4h7U-o9Ej0EwbF4F_klthDZyvINuc5-_WVDg33PPBouTSHDM3Rt452oduW-4/w640-h522/germinflanewback.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Oooooh!
Ok. The back of this cover has another 14 postage stamps at 5000 marks
each for a total of 75,000 marks in postage. This sort of thing, where you find an intact piece of postal history that has a whole bunch of postage stamps on it, is hard for someone like me to ignore - even if it is a bit on the rough side. It's because I like items that make me ask questions.</p><p>Questions like "why?" "Why so many stamps to mail this envelope?)<br /></p><p>This postage on this envelope covered what was needed for a simple, internal letter in Germany. If you've read some of these blogs before, you might recognize that a simple letter that has a origin and destination within the same country is the most common piece of mail a person can find. </p><p>So, you might ask a new question - "Why did they use so many stamps to pay for a simple letter?" Since that's a very good question, I thought I'd go about answering it!</p><p>The kicker is that this particular rate (75,000 marks for a letter weighing no more than 20 grams) only lasted from
<b>September 1, 1923 until September 19 of the same year</b>. <br /></p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Mailing costs during hyper-inflation</span></b><br /><p>This is an area of postal history that
fascinates many people, but is not in my area of expertise. Of course,
that does not mean I can't find my way around the subject - but it does
mean that I will miss subtle differences that a person who concentrates
on this area will see. If you are that person, feel free to feed me
more information if you think I am missing something.</p><p>The period
of time after World War I was difficult for Germany after the signing of
the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The treaty caused Germany to forfeit
their overseas colonies as well as contested areas in Europe. Limits were
placed on their military and Germany was forced to pay 132 billion gold
marks in reparations to compensate for civilian losses due to the war.
The amounts that were actually paid and the timeline for that payment
are another story that you can find if you are interested.<br /></p><p>The
aftermath of the war in Germany set the stage for something called
hyper-inflation which was, in part, fueled by the unrestrained printing
of paper money and government debt. Of course, the situation was much
more complex than that and if you would like to read a fairly easy to
follow piece that explains hyper-inflation in Germany better than I will
- please <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitext/ess_germanhyperinflation.html" target="_blank">check it out on the PBS site</a>. </p><p>To give you an idea of the type of inflation were are talking about "<i>prices that had doubled from 1914 to 1919 doubled again during just five months in 1922</i>."
Prices continued to increase rapidly throughout the rest of 1922 and
throughout 1923. As 1923 progressed, people looked at the first five
months of 1922 wistfully because merely doubling prices seemed pretty
tame by October of 1923.<br /></p><p>And here is where postal history
intersects with fiscal history. By collecting old letters from Germany
in 1922 and 1923 you can get a real lesson in what hyper-inflation looks
like.<br /></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">A Domestic Letter in 1920</span></b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTJWu5hDVvC8GU6q5tPoUMBLiMoGKga6rR-XtAxTbVXO8yZdOGeoLMRTSIN7PM-NBnSBgqqx8v-kwggfoHJY_jv6MLPRxYL5YYBhJ1z_1lIb2o1ZXiD2VlK8xlF2o0VaSLWrxwm44yf4/s1597/Germanydomestic1920onered.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1597" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTJWu5hDVvC8GU6q5tPoUMBLiMoGKga6rR-XtAxTbVXO8yZdOGeoLMRTSIN7PM-NBnSBgqqx8v-kwggfoHJY_jv6MLPRxYL5YYBhJ1z_1lIb2o1ZXiD2VlK8xlF2o0VaSLWrxwm44yf4/w640-h430/Germanydomestic1920onered.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /></div><p></p><p>I'm
going to start with a simple letter sent in November of 1920. The cost
of sending a letter that weighed no more than 20 grams to another
destination within Germany's border was 40 pfennig (100 pfennig = 1 mark
- not unlike our cents and dollar in the US). This rate was effective
from May 6, 1920 until March 31, 1921. Prior to World War I, the
postage rate had been 10 pfennig, so we can already see that the simple
act of mailing a letter was already four times more expensive. <br /></p><p>I
suppose at this point, people might already have been a little bit
disgruntled by the higher postage rates, which accurately mirrored
prices of other items, such as milk, bread, paper and other common
items. </p><p>This rate would increase to 60 pfennig on April 1, 1921.
Certainly annoying, but it would be nothing like the next jump in the
postage rate.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The January 1, 1922 Increase</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2EXxQsh8Bhp5GheZNk320m_zFAoXDEl0CcAPa3XA7YGwMzAXu_u8BLBEaFviVrdjRbvF9LLNC9CL1yt-njlzKX8T-LhR5jWvPRaK9EYf5fJb79fZ8rvh_IxI2f6XBpftCelyD5hXMMQ/s2048/Germanydomestic200pf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1189" data-original-width="2048" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2EXxQsh8Bhp5GheZNk320m_zFAoXDEl0CcAPa3XA7YGwMzAXu_u8BLBEaFviVrdjRbvF9LLNC9CL1yt-njlzKX8T-LhR5jWvPRaK9EYf5fJb79fZ8rvh_IxI2f6XBpftCelyD5hXMMQ/w640-h373/Germanydomestic200pf.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Just
like every business in Germany at the time, their post office department was
finding that expenses were rapidly increasing and their employees
were demanding greater pay so they could stay ahead of the cost of
living trends.</p><p>The cost of a single letter, that weighed no more
than 20 grams, was pushed to 2 marks (200 pfennig). The letter below
was mailed on April 12 of 1922 and shows a 2 mark postage stamp. <br /></p><p>Let
me put this in perspective. Here are the letter rates in the United
States during the first part of the 1900s. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <b>Letter Mail Rates in the United States</b><br /></p>
<table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;"><tbody><tr><th>Effective Date<br /></th><th>Rate</th><th>Per</th></tr><tr>
<td>July 1, 1863<br /></td>
<td>3 cents<br /></td>
<td><i>half ounce <br /></i></td>
</tr><tr>
<td>October 1, 1883 <br /></td>
<td>2 cents<br /></td>
<td><div style="text-align: right;">
</div><i>half ounce<br /></i></td>
</tr><tr>
<td>July 1, 1885<br /></td>
<td>2 cents <br /></td>
<td><i>ounce</i><br /></td>
</tr><tr>
<td>November 2, 1917<br /></td>
<td>3 cents<br /></td>
<td><i>ounce</i><br /></td>
</tr><tr>
<td>July 1, 1919<br /></td>
<td>2 cents</td>
<td><i>ounce</i><br /></td>
</tr><tr><td>July 6, 1932<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><br /></td><td>3 cents<br /></td><td><i>ounce</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The
postage rates in the United States went up one penny to help pay for
the war effort, but it was then reduced after the conclusion of the
conflict. The rate did not increase to three cents again until 1932. and let me remind you that the amount of territory covered by the post office in the United States was far greater than Germany's in the 1920s.
Our current price in the US to mail a letter is 66 cents.</p><p>This rate
increase would be like jumping our 66 cent rate for one ounce to more than two
dollars tomorrow. While I know few people send much mail anymore, you
can still imagine how this would be received. Those of us who still send letters or bills via mail just might finally give up that idea.<br /></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rapid Increases Followed</span></b></span><br /></p><p>People
who specifically collect and study German mail from this period have a
lot to look for and plenty to enjoy. From January, 1920 to December of
1923, there are twenty-four changes in the domestic letter rate. And get this - the shortest rate period lasted just SIX days. <br /></p><p>Just like our first item, the letter
below required 75,000 marks to pay for a simple domestic letter. And again, this rate was effective for only 19 days. At the end of that time period it jumped to... oh.... 250,000 marks. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrV-k-9CecJlg6HCYnwRjduGuqwXhxUsWew6sxoJbogiLWRBx_RyFZykqy7BpX9H8QQfFw8XfnDqrdd9_qBbYgvi43nOYK4Rjc_o8RbI_Tf0hYR-S3kRT4rQCjZ80SWhdBiW6eQ_osKO8/s1834/Germanydomestic75000mark.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1419" data-original-width="1834" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrV-k-9CecJlg6HCYnwRjduGuqwXhxUsWew6sxoJbogiLWRBx_RyFZykqy7BpX9H8QQfFw8XfnDqrdd9_qBbYgvi43nOYK4Rjc_o8RbI_Tf0hYR-S3kRT4rQCjZ80SWhdBiW6eQ_osKO8/w640-h496/Germanydomestic75000mark.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The
exceptionally short rate periods found the postal service unable to
respond with new postage stamp designs for each change. So, to cover
the demand for stamps, they started <b>overprinting</b> existing postage stamps with values reflecting the new postage rates. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oG0unWp8iNhyqKei9WvEEWHqd458v5NdMkQzoMopZN29Z5R7hXyn4eEnNmx57OahfYOBqELDlqUw5Kg02RBaYbJZgL4N9D04w7chzjyXGvNsI84ag0nRuO9K088q207VfRidUkzHUvw/s342/75000.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="292" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oG0unWp8iNhyqKei9WvEEWHqd458v5NdMkQzoMopZN29Z5R7hXyn4eEnNmx57OahfYOBqELDlqUw5Kg02RBaYbJZgL4N9D04w7chzjyXGvNsI84ag0nRuO9K088q207VfRidUkzHUvw/s320/75000.png" /></a></div><p>The
letter above actually has a 1000 mark stamp that was overprinted with
the new 75,000 mark value. Or, like our first item - it took a whole bunch of stamps that had the lower denominations to accurately and fully pay the new, higher postage rate.</p><p>Of course, with all of the changes,
there are many covers that show an incorrect postage amount that was accepted. Or, even if the amount paid in cash was correct, it might have been easy to make a mistake with the correct postage stamps.</p><p>As a matter of fact, in August of 1923, the German post offices allowed for cash
payment without requiring the use of postage stamps simply because it
was difficult to get the stamps to every post office in the country
quick enough.<br /></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Be a "Millionaire" to Mail a Letter</span></b></span></p><p>The
rate from October 1 to October 9 of 1923 was actually 2 MILLION marks
for a letter weighing no more than 20 grams. The letter shown below was
mailed on October 8. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhm3lMEfnLkpZBP_d4-B_LCIt0MGzvIxqHYcS4Jda2sC1lmaUz_E5QByQ9_L2iBQYGOGd_FLVaULNZc5SlDqHr_SKdA2-r_H1bXK9kizOquhYvlxhUxCiRQI9b22RAnBaMAYbuEiysmQo/s1803/Germanydomestic2millionmark.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1438" data-original-width="1803" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhm3lMEfnLkpZBP_d4-B_LCIt0MGzvIxqHYcS4Jda2sC1lmaUz_E5QByQ9_L2iBQYGOGd_FLVaULNZc5SlDqHr_SKdA2-r_H1bXK9kizOquhYvlxhUxCiRQI9b22RAnBaMAYbuEiysmQo/w640-h510/Germanydomestic2millionmark.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>One
of the things we need to remember about all of this is that "two
million marks" did not represent the same value that "two million marks"
once held. In late 1923, you could have trainloads of German paper
money and it would actually have very little value. People who were
able to had moved towards acquiring physical property that would retain
some value. The PBS essay mentions that many families purchased pianos,
even though no one in the family played them - just so they would have
something of value for their money.</p><p>I was curious if there was a
good summary as to who was able to handle hyper-inflation in Germany and
who might have struggled. There is an excellent summary of the most
commonly accepted stages of hyperinflation in Germany in<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z9y64j6/revision/5" target="_blank"> this BBC article</a>. Of interest to me is the following from that page on June 12, 2021.</p><section data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5"></section><blockquote><section data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5"><h2 data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5.$0"><span data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5.$0.0">Hyperinflation winners:</span></h2><ul class="list unordered" data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5.$1"><li data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5.$1.$0"><span data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5.$1.$0.0">Borrowers,
such as businessmen, landowners and those with mortgages, found they
were able to pay back their loans easily with worthless money. </span></li><li data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5.$1.$1"><span data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5.$1.$1.0">People
on wages were relatively safe, because they could renegotiate their wages
every day. However, even their wages eventually failed to keep up with
prices.</span></li><li data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5.$1.$2"><span data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$5.$1.$2.0">Farmers coped well, since their products remained in demand and they received more money for them as prices spiraled.</span></li></ul></section><section data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$6"><h2 data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$6.$0"><span data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$6.$0.0">Hyperinflation losers:</span></h2><ul class="list unordered" data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$6.$1"><li data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$6.$1.$0"><span data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$6.$1.$0.0">People on fixed incomes, like students, pensioners or the sick, found their incomes did not keep up with prices.</span></li><li data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$6.$1.$1"><span data-reactid=".jw1bhyvh6g.0.0.0.1:0.1.0.$0.$6.$1.$1.0">People
with savings and those who had lent money, for example to the
government, were the most badly hit as their money became worthless.</span></li></ul></section></blockquote><p>As
a farmer, I might suggest that farmers may have coped well because they
were in a population that is often more willing to accept barter
agreements. But, I am not an economist, so we'll not go there!<br /></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Back to "Normal"</span></b></span></p><p>In
December of 1923, Germany issued a new currency and allowed for an
exchange rate of 1 trillion marks for a SINGLE new "Renten-Mark." The
postage rate was reset at 10 pfennig (in the new currency) and the
hyperinflation period was over.</p><p>But, before this blog is over, I thought I would share one more. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTsu7LiKNX7HFStHym5SzwJXepsCb4EFpspE-gBXHnH7ODsZzJYvbWE5PZ0rWe1B4nuWE6uuCmCFXTthRJYLjTEgbGKYTNeyiy9-nhKrqXigvKW0ZlPCQahO3JkrBaqgfmY2GjltdQw4/s1651/GermanytoMuscatineIowa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1651" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTsu7LiKNX7HFStHym5SzwJXepsCb4EFpspE-gBXHnH7ODsZzJYvbWE5PZ0rWe1B4nuWE6uuCmCFXTthRJYLjTEgbGKYTNeyiy9-nhKrqXigvKW0ZlPCQahO3JkrBaqgfmY2GjltdQw4/w640-h434/GermanytoMuscatineIowa.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>A
favorite item in my own collection has an Iowa connection. This letter
was mailed on April 23, 1923 to Muscatine at the cost of 300 marks.
This rate was effective from March until the end of June. I would not
be horribly surprised to learn that this may have been yet another
German businessperson investing in the US dollar and abandoning the
German mark. <br /></p><p>And... there you are! A journey to Germany in
the early 1920s - all without leaving your seat (unless you like to read
and walk at the same time?).</p><p>Have a great remainder of the weekend and a wonderful week to come!</p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Want to Learn More?</span></b></span></p><p>The small booklet by Gerhard Binder titled <i>The Postal Rates in Germany from 1906 to 1923: The High Inflation 1923</i> is a wonderful resource that helped me to get the basic knowledge I needed for German postal history at that time. </p><p>If you enjoy postal history and want to see what a person might do if this was a topic they wanted to focus on, you can look at <a href="https://www.rfrajola.com/infla/INFLA.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Extraordinary Frankings from the German Inflation: 1919-1923</i></a> by Charles L Williams.</p><p>------------------------------ <br /></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>. </span><br /></p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-26525110347589872532023-12-10T05:30:00.235-06:002023-12-10T05:30:00.363-06:00Sneaky Clues Too - Postal History Sunday<p></p><p>Welcome to Postal History Sunday! If you've been here before, you
know what to do. If you haven't - we're glad you decided to visit. </p><p>Grab
a favorite beverage, making sure to keep it away from the keyboard or
the paper objects I will be sharing today. Settle into a comfy chair
and kick off the tight shoes and put on the fuzzy slippers. If your brain is occupied by things that
are less than positive, put them aside for a time while I share
something I enjoy. </p><p>And maybe...just maybe. We'll all learn something new!</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Clues to get from here to there</span></b><br /></p><p>One of the skills a postal historian develops over time is the ability to "read" each cover. The process of reading a cover allows a person to discover details about where an item was mailed, where it was destined to go, and where it went on the way there. Reading a cover also helps us to determine what the required postage was and how much of that postage was actually paid.</p><p>Sometimes, there are sneaky clues that can either help us read a cover or confirm for us that our reading is correct. I thought I'd start today with a heavier letter sent from France to Belgium in 1861. <br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZsZXK2rw8Tr6_81v3KaZM3MJqeu8qcyCPaiZIcH-DpLKA8J1T1wIn98g1MtPxDP5Odz4xmH-DFkiwNgkAk6dyhyfKKZad9rk0PsbQqok4_UxB4_CHy_eeXkYnNbis2AUh7N1EJWR4mosB2MAeEesAS55gPRrVe4vZIeY_RYi0jksNpFtrw/s1715/FRBEtriplerate.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1715" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZsZXK2rw8Tr6_81v3KaZM3MJqeu8qcyCPaiZIcH-DpLKA8J1T1wIn98g1MtPxDP5Odz4xmH-DFkiwNgkAk6dyhyfKKZad9rk0PsbQqok4_UxB4_CHy_eeXkYnNbis2AUh7N1EJWR4mosB2MAeEesAS55gPRrVe4vZIeY_RYi0jksNpFtrw/w640-h402/FRBEtriplerate.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">40 centimes per 10 grams : April 1, 1858 to December 31, 1865<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The
French and the Belgians came to an agreement that the simple rate
between their two countries would be 40 centimes for each 10 grams in
weight. This rate was put into effect in 1858 and continued until the end of 1865. So, this would be the postal rate that would apply to this particular letter.</p><p>This letter entered the French mail system at St Etienne, France on April 27, 1861 and was destined for Roulers, Belgium. The route this particular letter is not a big secret, because there are numerous transit marks on the back of the folded letter. The letter boarded a train at Lyon that was bound for Paris on the same day it was mailed, but it didn't leave on the train out of Paris until the next morning. </p><p>It took the train bound for Calais but, instead of going all the way to Calais, it was moved the Belgian mail system. This is confirmed by two strikes of the marking that reads "France par Mouscron." It finally arrived at Roulers on the 28th on the train arriving between 2 and 3 in the afternoon.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2lZp5EeVCY25DbZjGQt9i2b3DfBmBGL8t4N_ddM3SdXWXbm4mZe6PHyJXL7hy6Wp__ZizrxIdQ8HlCQSom7eafFrnHJOtRAD3AxRXpsZKQjL5KZ0LlBnd10eXqjlSRnza3WJyQw2O26TQgxqDXYzX2MCuiMvUsVidpOjg7guV-22jRCWfP3sjD_thNmA/s1733/FRBEtriplerateback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1733" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2lZp5EeVCY25DbZjGQt9i2b3DfBmBGL8t4N_ddM3SdXWXbm4mZe6PHyJXL7hy6Wp__ZizrxIdQ8HlCQSom7eafFrnHJOtRAD3AxRXpsZKQjL5KZ0LlBnd10eXqjlSRnza3WJyQw2O26TQgxqDXYzX2MCuiMvUsVidpOjg7guV-22jRCWfP3sjD_thNmA/w640-h398/FRBEtriplerateback.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I suspect most people could figure out that markings dated on the 27th would have been placed on the envelope before those dated April 28. But, you might be wondering how I deciphered the ordering of these markings with such certainty. And, you might also be justified in asking how I could make a claim that the letter arrived between 2 and 3 in the afternoon.<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQR6Zbe46z5IvtOTvmLGkTklBAFzRuuwwpizmy2yV2E4DIo2-6E7O5U8YJljScgdDYQHijEVPHUqHsf5d4Rh6H7bdOO9s977AMCtmVY7q_GjNc3gwFwYeiu2dx1hAQtHGX9RRcwx4k7FoI7Fcndc1es0rGOM2tZOO6AI2JTJDriBxpsNyWEpDn_fkTmRmF/s313/Roulersreceiver.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="304" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQR6Zbe46z5IvtOTvmLGkTklBAFzRuuwwpizmy2yV2E4DIo2-6E7O5U8YJljScgdDYQHijEVPHUqHsf5d4Rh6H7bdOO9s977AMCtmVY7q_GjNc3gwFwYeiu2dx1hAQtHGX9RRcwx4k7FoI7Fcndc1es0rGOM2tZOO6AI2JTJDriBxpsNyWEpDn_fkTmRmF/s1600/Roulersreceiver.png" width="304" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roulers, 28 Avr. 2-3S, 1861<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The sneaky clue that provided the answer for that last part was located in the receiving mark for Roulers (Rouselare). Belgian rail markings often included a time stamp which allowed them to track the train that carried the letter. The letter "m" would stand for "matin" (morning) and "s" indicated "soir" (evening). Or, if it makes the US readers feel better, AM and PM. <p></p><p>We can actually see a better (and clearer) example of the time marking here:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2pvecosWPSR5dXwKfvBXi6dR6f0enk592eYxrIc50Cyd2SyJ8_x8osVIQBcsq0XtrfVtymialGWXvNypwy4mtPnPpxg-f99SsSsycByGiim0GgX68-lhfHhmySLqYU0iP13YCYB4xNmsZZ8q9myD_0FuRsEuU3FVTy1-htQwQ0BnhcTFlBE1Z80RMytq/s299/parMouscronexchange.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="299" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2pvecosWPSR5dXwKfvBXi6dR6f0enk592eYxrIc50Cyd2SyJ8_x8osVIQBcsq0XtrfVtymialGWXvNypwy4mtPnPpxg-f99SsSsycByGiim0GgX68-lhfHhmySLqYU0iP13YCYB4xNmsZZ8q9myD_0FuRsEuU3FVTy1-htQwQ0BnhcTFlBE1Z80RMytq/s1600/parMouscronexchange.png" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">France par Mouscron, 28 Avr. 12-1S, 61<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>This is the Belgian exchange marking that was applied on the Belgian mail car that ran from Lille, France to Mouscron, Belgium. It was there between noon and 1PM according to the 12-1S portion of the transit marking. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmOZ23xVQ719rekNsPAZAwE9TDa9KAkx5o3iyi7O6OBAzaN7nimCz_s8fCY1to_uLx9-yc4j32aFbTgPCyP1g-_TP6AwrngLIOlXi1UM2JyxpPMzpJHNuu6Hkz-vIzWNCC5rC68I0rfLhptow_hOZnmt_jzslxy_-GtLv_VFBeox5MT4H_vd86UzX-58E/s1024/BelgiumFranceborder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1024" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmOZ23xVQ719rekNsPAZAwE9TDa9KAkx5o3iyi7O6OBAzaN7nimCz_s8fCY1to_uLx9-yc4j32aFbTgPCyP1g-_TP6AwrngLIOlXi1UM2JyxpPMzpJHNuu6Hkz-vIzWNCC5rC68I0rfLhptow_hOZnmt_jzslxy_-GtLv_VFBeox5MT4H_vd86UzX-58E/w640-h492/BelgiumFranceborder.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>The actual border crossing was at Tourcoing (France). For those who like a little bit of trivia, the rail line from Tourcoing to Mouscron was the first to cross a European border (1842). Mouscron was a key junction for the Belgian railroads at the time. So, while Roulers was not terribly far away (just northwest of Courtrai), it is likely that there was a transfer or either mailbags or mailcars at that location.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GBjy9sT42OumLjzx-rNb9YVZ7i7Wq4DoMgc5Q6yjN5CcxKKsx3Dq5C2jDi7t6B2SSPW-4FKSNQdWkzFnw77WPsxuF4g9RSI9ww8i1QBR5zzgpCuVfch7fCYzu8bKeUkfZFbTjo47DqeShdoq8vcOHO0JiLG8WhpvOua1EE0SSycdKkRpKVgltWV3juvK/s1200/Mouscronstation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1200" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GBjy9sT42OumLjzx-rNb9YVZ7i7Wq4DoMgc5Q6yjN5CcxKKsx3Dq5C2jDi7t6B2SSPW-4FKSNQdWkzFnw77WPsxuF4g9RSI9ww8i1QBR5zzgpCuVfch7fCYzu8bKeUkfZFbTjo47DqeShdoq8vcOHO0JiLG8WhpvOua1EE0SSycdKkRpKVgltWV3juvK/w640-h406/Mouscronstation.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From a collection of images <a href="https://www.lavenir.net/regions/wallonie-picarde/mouscron/2023/01/09/la-gare-de-mouscron-retour-sur-pres-de-200-ans-dhistoire-images-et-documents-darchives-27MGNKE5FFEO7H3DN3JOLSJP5Y/" target="_blank">at this site</a> (viewed 12/9/23)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The other, not so sneaky, clue to determine the order these markings were applied has to do with geographical knowledge - or access to maps. If you know St Etienne is closer to Lyon, that will help get you started.</p><p>The other puzzle with this cover is determining how much postage was paid (and why that much postage was paid). The three postage stamps each represent 40 centimes in postage paid. The "P.D." marking tells us it was considered paid in full. But, once again the postage rate was 40 centimes per 10 grams. So, this must be a triple weight letter. </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A simple letter would weigh no more than 10 grams (40 centimes)</li><li>A double weight letter would weigh more than 10 grams and no more than 20 grams (80 centimes)</li><li>A triple weight letter would weigh more than 20 grams and no more than 30 grams (120 centimes)</li></ul><p>But, I can tell you that this letter weighed 25 grams - because of this sneaky clue.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjreuL40cDdJXC30owmGiJQxLDkwXBWc2S-hOnr1PYupNrgWmPYkDYgVBrZSMHx8nde0XUr99EQGBXBRZKuRaarWjAD5hvlvdBjzG_OGuvtvhZ85EzoTdzzO07n7EPkxuArVqKgd4z4tnTAA2gZL4BlJQXigzRT6driZBqfYPb1_9zKFkCsA/s244/twentyfivegrams.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="231" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjreuL40cDdJXC30owmGiJQxLDkwXBWc2S-hOnr1PYupNrgWmPYkDYgVBrZSMHx8nde0XUr99EQGBXBRZKuRaarWjAD5hvlvdBjzG_OGuvtvhZ85EzoTdzzO07n7EPkxuArVqKgd4z4tnTAA2gZL4BlJQXigzRT6driZBqfYPb1_9zKFkCsA/s1600/twentyfivegrams.png" width="231" /></a></div><p></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Clues to figure out what the postage paid for<br /></span></b></span></p><p>I thought I would stick with some Belgian postal history and show a
folded letter from Mettet, Belgium, that was mailed in December of 1854
to Charleroy, also in Belgium. So, this is an internal letter, rather than a letter exchanged between nations. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsr9Dl3qxBVPsIb3h3z9PUtn5ZJEb9EqEXILeTvJy_PLOgxiNQ2-VT-_SHBDiS-o1vqcRoJ5ecwEXO8wmZtVrp1gmP82r0PEXfa8IPk_Ks2gn2X3SoRdD4chzVS89RJsUy92E6InBTso/s1459/BL4_internal40ctimp.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="951" data-original-width="1459" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsr9Dl3qxBVPsIb3h3z9PUtn5ZJEb9EqEXILeTvJy_PLOgxiNQ2-VT-_SHBDiS-o1vqcRoJ5ecwEXO8wmZtVrp1gmP82r0PEXfa8IPk_Ks2gn2X3SoRdD4chzVS89RJsUy92E6InBTso/w640-h418/BL4_internal40ctimp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">40 centimes for a local letter (under 30 km) weighing 20-60 gms (Jul 1, 1849 - Oct 31, 1868)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is a domestic letter with two 20 centime stamps to pay the postage (a total of 40 centimes). The question is - why
was 40 centimes needed to mail this letter?</p><p>Belgium's internal
rate structure from July 1, 1849 to October 31, 1868 was fairly
complex. It maintained both a distance component and a weight component
to determine the cost of postage for any given item. Any letter that
had to travel 30 km or more would have to follow one rate table and
local letters (less than 30km distance) would follow another.</p><p>The
weight component was not a linear progression either. The base rate was
for mail weighing no more than 10 grams. That would cover the majority
of letter mail. The next rate level was for mail that weighed over 10
grams and no more than 20 grams. The third rate level was for mail that
weighed more than 20 grams and no more than 60 grams. <br /></p><p>So, what are the clues that we can use to figure out the rate for the folded letter shown above?</p><p><b>Clue #1: 40 centimes in postage paid appears to have covered the cost</b></p><p>The
stamps have their cancellation markings and there are no markings on
the cover that tell us more money is owed by the recipient. That means
the postage rate was 40 centimes OR less. After all, a postal service
only cares if you don't pay enough. If you want to pay too much, that's
your business. <br /></p><p><b>Clue #2: How far apart are Mettet and Charleroy?</b></p><p>It
turns out that they are roughly 24 km distant from each other. This
tells us that this was probably a "local" letter. I say "probably" because the distances we see in today's maps are not necessarily representative of how the Belgian postal services in 1854 classified it. Instead of having exact mileage, most distance rates were calculated by seeing where each possible destination settlement landed in a table predetermined by the post office. Still, given the modern measurement, odds are very good that this was a local letter (under 30km). <br /></p><p>So, if we know that a local
letter required 40 centimes for an item weighing more than 20 grams and
no more than 60 grams, we have (mostly) solved the problem! We
cannot eliminate the possibility that this was an overpayment for either
the first or second rate levels. But, the simplest solution is to say
that the postage paid the third rate level for a local letter.</p><p><b>Clue #3 A weight is referenced in a docket:</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicg_xtQmPr536z5WtAILEdLbZEqg63-S2yexammDSQXCIk9rQHSY89eDo0YYP1g5Ne2OxkKLv7gsUQVRjABhnSNIt_vhtxLywFYbjeAbSzI7H62K8yf1ZPTNNYWT5U9vI7w5uqs_NbBu0/s143/25gramsmarking.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="64" data-original-width="143" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicg_xtQmPr536z5WtAILEdLbZEqg63-S2yexammDSQXCIk9rQHSY89eDo0YYP1g5Ne2OxkKLv7gsUQVRjABhnSNIt_vhtxLywFYbjeAbSzI7H62K8yf1ZPTNNYWT5U9vI7w5uqs_NbBu0/w400-h179/25gramsmarking.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Located
at the top center of this piece of mail is a scrawl that actually reads
"25 Gms." It is likely a weight written by the postal clerk. And, as
it turns out, 25 grams is between 20 and 60 grams. So, this letter was
mailed at the third rate level for a local letter, which required 40
centimes in postage.</p><p>I could have come to the likely correct
conclusion with either the distance or the weight docket, but there are
times when one clue is not enough. And, even if one IS enough, it can
be helpful to have corroboration between clues. If they contradict
each other, we would have a bit more of a puzzle on our hands - and it
could be one that is not solvable.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimy4kHTe4PYuz1mrRrHSgskA7nJPlNa3paWFPT3o1a31mkUAcglRLoYJ_0fOyHpW_fwkkqHirpqVpUf9fIUvBFv1QG7LYKN74enEkIsV0NU-qqpywlGCPnsRrfrQrcXWr0xPVJ3IUhAzw/s1614/BL12_toIreland.tif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1614" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimy4kHTe4PYuz1mrRrHSgskA7nJPlNa3paWFPT3o1a31mkUAcglRLoYJ_0fOyHpW_fwkkqHirpqVpUf9fIUvBFv1QG7LYKN74enEkIsV0NU-qqpywlGCPnsRrfrQrcXWr0xPVJ3IUhAzw/w640-h374/BL12_toIreland.tif" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">40 centimes per 15 grams: Oct 1, 1857 - Jul 31, 1865<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Here
is another piece of Belgian letter mail from 1858. This cover originated in
Bruges, Belgium and was sent to Dublin, Ireland. The two postage
stamps total 80 centimes in postage paid to mail this letter.</p><p>The postage rate between these two locations was simple: 40 centimes per 15 grams (<i>effective Oct 1, 1857 - July 31, 1865</i>).
So, the easiest (and correct) conclusion is that this paid the postage for a double
weight letter (something over 15 grams and up to 30 grams).<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PVbwdPJWcWh2wjTAbTBvOqXyJKyJDb6Pm0RtxJA6J7gnWKursLWqGOaSLWamEJ1a_KyIoBAS0BpQ21Y4uLue6IyZZ7f0NNe1xCBPR4XBH41ddTsho8BNKtZpbUgCxcTOmH5hwvUc_Tw/s396/16gramsmarking.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PVbwdPJWcWh2wjTAbTBvOqXyJKyJDb6Pm0RtxJA6J7gnWKursLWqGOaSLWamEJ1a_KyIoBAS0BpQ21Y4uLue6IyZZ7f0NNe1xCBPR4XBH41ddTsho8BNKtZpbUgCxcTOmH5hwvUc_Tw/s320/16gramsmarking.png" width="320" /></a> <br /></div><p>Well,
we can tell you that this letter and its contents weighed 16 grams
according to the docket find just above and to the left of the
Bruges postmark. </p><p>Unlike the second example, this one is much
easier to read and identify. In fact, it was this cover that taught me to look just in case this clue is a part of a postal
history item. Most mail does not bear a docket or marking that
indicates the weight of the letter. But, when it does, it provide s
valuable information.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Eights are wild</b></span></p><p>I
thought this folded lettersheet mailed in 1853 from Switzerland
(Chaux-de-fonds) to Paris (France) would be a logical next step. See if
you can figure this one out without me giving you the answer.</p><p>This was an unpaid letter (no postage stamps), so the recipient would be
expected to pay that postage in order to receive the letter. And the
rate was 40 centimes per 7.5 grams in weight.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hhAOkBYjwiwm4vikx1ujIiYT5vu9sn9loxRogS-HJLPoryvRI3dKIyf2oBm35IXlbYh65w6n2CykeYcANRxfIP3rm0WY7Af54MfMWmGEgrL0-xR2jdZEqUokPsT7huNFNoGhe3m0dOQ/s1643/SZ21_toFranceMorteau.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1643" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hhAOkBYjwiwm4vikx1ujIiYT5vu9sn9loxRogS-HJLPoryvRI3dKIyf2oBm35IXlbYh65w6n2CykeYcANRxfIP3rm0WY7Af54MfMWmGEgrL0-xR2jdZEqUokPsT7huNFNoGhe3m0dOQ/w640-h397/SZ21_toFranceMorteau.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /></div><p>There
are actually three numerical markings on this particular item. You
probably recognize the two "8's" - but the squiggle at the lower right
(looks like a lower case "n") is actually a "4."</p><p>The "4" has been
crossed off (notice the two lines going through it) because the
receiving postmaster must have determined that the letter weighed too
much. They put the larger "8" in the middle indicating that the
recipient must pay 8 decimes (80 centimes) to receive the letter. In
case you didn't remember, the French preferred to do their accounting in
decimes (1 decime = 10 centimes) and you can think of a decime as a
dime, if that helps you.</p><p>Initially, I did not understand the
purpose of the 2nd "8" at the top left. Maybe the postmaster just
wanted everyone to understand "<i>Hey! I really meant 8 decimes, not 4 decimes. See! I put it here twice!</i>"
But, even more likely is that the smaller "8" is the weight of the
letter - 8 grams. They just did not bother putting the weight unit with
it this time.</p><p>By putting the weight on the letter, I suspect they
felt it would serve as an explanation as to why they rejected the first
4 decimes rating. The recipient, on the other hand, probably did not
need or want to know that the weight was over by just a half gram. If
anything, they were probably just annoyed that they had to pay twice as
much for this particular letter. <br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Not just an 1850s thing</b></span></p><p>Below
is a letter mailed from the Netherlands to England in 1914. World War I
was actively engaged at the time, so most mail between nations had to go through a censorship process. After the censor read the letter and removed any information
they didn't feel should be included, they would reseal the letter with
some sort of seal or tape (like the pink you see in the cover below).<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtFet3fsNHMb1ZmMZfg701NYI-cVLKtDtNTa32cOWGuf5syFjKcmwHlszw3wgsoBDugZcoovV0GEKNALt7yTVtRf00O3b9grJD8u_jjjXjq7sC8gYVo4RJhp6iCIDkybFqN5UXgmZrnE/s1791/NE11_1914toEnglandReg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1474" data-original-width="1791" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtFet3fsNHMb1ZmMZfg701NYI-cVLKtDtNTa32cOWGuf5syFjKcmwHlszw3wgsoBDugZcoovV0GEKNALt7yTVtRf00O3b9grJD8u_jjjXjq7sC8gYVo4RJhp6iCIDkybFqN5UXgmZrnE/w640-h526/NE11_1914toEnglandReg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>This
letter carries 37 1/2 Dutch cents in postage. At the top left, you can
see the weight "44 grams" written in pencil. I wonder why that is
there?</p><p>Well, I'm going to work backwards first. The fee to send
registered mail from Holland to England was 10 cents (<i>Jan 1881 - Mar 31, 1921</i>). That leaves us with 27 1/2 cents in postage paid by the blue stamp
at lower left.</p><p>The letter rate for mail from the Netherlands to England was as follows:<br /> 1st 20 grams: 12 ½ cents<br /> each additional 20 grams: 7 ½ cts </p><p></p><p>If the letter weighed 44 grams, we would be in the third weight level, then the postage rate should have been 27 1/2 cents. </p><p></p><p>As a side note, take a look at the address panel on this envelope - "<i>To W.T. Wilson Stamp Dealer</i>"</p><p>Yes,
this was a piece of mail to an individual who sold postage stamps to
philatelists (people who collect and study postage stamps). That, by
itself, could explain a few things.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Giving credit where it's due </span></b><br /></p><p></p><p>This time, we're going to start with a
letter that was sent from Newport, Rhode Island to Paris, France in
1866. Can you guess what "sneaky clue" I am going to focus on? <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUSEDrskz2nn_5S7DAjmcxYcPL9XQCtk4Xy77kb-P7IjaJJ5mo0qW4231dVtJxAo1zDBNOLpQhdn0Tv1e-mOTJyR2zVIWn1uKSNiOWAF_nE4c7-1BDBa9HBFrmFpuLzNayOzrucW4Hppib1SNM-DXYQVWBTFiPe8tZ9LyplYxOg2R0J7B4ow=s1607" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1607" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUSEDrskz2nn_5S7DAjmcxYcPL9XQCtk4Xy77kb-P7IjaJJ5mo0qW4231dVtJxAo1zDBNOLpQhdn0Tv1e-mOTJyR2zVIWn1uKSNiOWAF_nE4c7-1BDBa9HBFrmFpuLzNayOzrucW4Hppib1SNM-DXYQVWBTFiPe8tZ9LyplYxOg2R0J7B4ow=w640-h344" width="640" /></a></div><p>Actually, this time around, I wanted to show how well ALL of the pieces of the story being told by this envelope work together. </p><p>The
red "45" at the bottom left is equivalent to the amount of postage
found on this envelope: one 24-cent stamp, two 10-cent stamps and one
1-cent stamp = 45 cents total.</p><p>The postage rate for letter mail
from the United States to France at the time was 15 cents per 1/4 ounce
of weight (effective April 1857-Dec 1869). Forty-five is a multiple of
fifteen, so that's a good sign.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjIIZMnKa-UFPb4OO4YQ5zvt4MIBk24Ky5SVYOtx_oAqSpXqkoQeSl_6YEE6nsQUeLSIlIp0njc6StUOERsRn--wJK7lCka2_zqy7lKzrtTeitawezbE_9_b0pEy39fWljh-76myyIRfloQn0huihcT6Kvrp1DoPLaAhiLqY7d__tXSWeYHw=s384" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="282" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjIIZMnKa-UFPb4OO4YQ5zvt4MIBk24Ky5SVYOtx_oAqSpXqkoQeSl_6YEE6nsQUeLSIlIp0njc6StUOERsRn--wJK7lCka2_zqy7lKzrtTeitawezbE_9_b0pEy39fWljh-76myyIRfloQn0huihcT6Kvrp1DoPLaAhiLqY7d__tXSWeYHw=w147-h200" width="147" /></a></div>The numbers in red pencil read "36 / 3" - which is exactly what they should be. But why?<p>I
took a moment to enhance the red pencil mark and remove some of the
distracting marks from the address panel so you can better see what it
is that I am referring to. </p><p>The "3" is in reference to the fact
that this letter must have weighed more than 1/2 ounce and no more than
3/4 ounce. In other words, postage needed to be <b>three times</b> the
simple letter rate (15 cents). So, this number confirms the amount of
postage AND the "45" marking at the lower left. So far so good.</p><p>But, what is it with the "36"? <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgqAJ8xJVvY2oEVE_XGp8GoEnRdUQiiXydyxYjO1wv_9Wi9igPbsqWIs9jyTVkZofpGMKs7Rg94_1U67Kad6CLMJVjmTBpM4Mk1oG4oQ7TuPuuKfZU1SJN7LmiegxvhmZTzPteI-alZRO1eumnyUCBPSeYiqTVp8YTECqlul5pChVBzFZ3Aw=s702" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="702" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgqAJ8xJVvY2oEVE_XGp8GoEnRdUQiiXydyxYjO1wv_9Wi9igPbsqWIs9jyTVkZofpGMKs7Rg94_1U67Kad6CLMJVjmTBpM4Mk1oG4oQ7TuPuuKfZU1SJN7LmiegxvhmZTzPteI-alZRO1eumnyUCBPSeYiqTVp8YTECqlul5pChVBzFZ3Aw=w400-h108" width="400" /></a> <br /></div><p>This is where the <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2021/01/tell-em-where-to-go-postal-history.html" target="_blank">docket </a>AND
the round, red Boston marking come in. The docket reads "per Cunard
Steamer of Wed Dec 5th from Boston." The red Boston marking is dated
December 5 and states that the postage is paid. It certainly is nice
that both of these things agree about when this letter was put on a
steamship (the Cunard Line's <i>Africa</i>) - but this is ALSO where the "36" ties in to the whole story.</p><p>Of
the 45 cents collected in postage by the United States, thirty-six
cents were to be passed on to France so they could pay for their
expenses AND so they could pass money to the British. After all, the
Cunard Line was under contract with the British Postal Service to carry
the mail across the Atlantic. </p><p>In the end, the postage was broken down as follows:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>9 cents for the United States</li><li>36 cents went to the French who used it to pay for</li><ul><li>18 cents to the British for the trip across the Atlantic</li><li>6 cents to cover the British surface mail and transit across the English Channel</li><li>12 cents kept by the French to pay for their own postal expenses. <br /></li></ul></ul><p>Now, these amounts are rough approximations, because the British wanted their shillings and pence and the French their centimes and decimes. So, of course, the French would take their equivalent from the US 36 cents and then pass amounts in their own currency on. </p><p>In any event, the 36/3 marking is correct because the ship that carried the letter across the Atlantic had a contract with the British. If that ship had been contracted with the United States or France, the first number would have been different - and so would the red pencil markings.<br /></p><p>And that's how it all ties together. Why is this interesting or important to a postal historian?</p><p>What
would happen if we had a letter that did not have a docket, did not
have the red "45" and the red Boston marking was smeared? If there was
only a "36/3" clearly written in pencil and 45 cents in postage on the
envelope, we could still be able to piece most of the story together
because we've seen items (like this one) where all of the pieces are
completely and clearly spelled out. That's part of the reason why I
have worked to become more conversant in "sneaky clues." Sometimes, not
everything will be as easily read as they are on our first example.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">And sometimes it just wasn't enough</span></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX_qA-SL79zFGEoGbnCX3ACfqG9PCVhsdqriUyXfIkRgZF4lG7vV29RldHygES7hTkt5ilkymExuhxqoF0IDkcX2BBYG0QJvorrOmK3bGhX9MMZTDOf4w_CpAEH-GD_o74Se0soUtMyugPuiQGKXR8EF_woaO18i0nGZYWrtHs4mBHO2jrtg=s1629" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1629" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX_qA-SL79zFGEoGbnCX3ACfqG9PCVhsdqriUyXfIkRgZF4lG7vV29RldHygES7hTkt5ilkymExuhxqoF0IDkcX2BBYG0QJvorrOmK3bGhX9MMZTDOf4w_CpAEH-GD_o74Se0soUtMyugPuiQGKXR8EF_woaO18i0nGZYWrtHs4mBHO2jrtg=w640-h390" width="640" /></a></div><p>Here
is an 1856 folded letter that was sent from Nancy, Franc to Paris.
There is a 20 centime stamp at the top right and the red box at the top
left reads "affranchissement insuffisant" (insufficient postage).</p><p>As a public service, I now give you a table that shows the <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2018/03/france-prepaid-internal-letter-rates.html" target="_blank">internal letter rates</a> for France during the second half of the 1800s. I highlighted the text of the row that applies to this letter.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Prepaid Internal Letter Rates for France</b>
</p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 85%px;"><tbody><tr><th>Date</th>
<th>1st Rate</th>
<th>up to</th>
<th>2nd Rate</th>
<th>up to</th>
<th>3rd Rate</th>
<th>up to</th>
<th>Additional</th>
<th>Per</th>
</tr><tr>
<td>Jan 1, 1849</td>
<td>0,20</td>
<td>7.5g</td>
<td>0,40</td>
<td>15g</td>
<td>1,00</td>
<td>100g</td>
<td>1,00</td>
<td>100g</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>Jul 1, 1850</td>
<td>0,25</td>
<td>7.5g</td>
<td>0,50</td>
<td>15g</td>
<td>1,00</td>
<td>100g</td>
<td>1,00</td>
<td>100g</td>
</tr><tr>
<td><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Jul 1, 1854</span></td>
<td><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">0,20</span></td>
<td><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">7.5g</span></td>
<td><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">0,40</span></td>
<td><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">15g</span></td>
<td><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">0,80</span></td>
<td><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">100g</span></td>
<td><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">0,80</span></td>
<td><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">100g</span></td>
</tr><tr>
<td>Jan 1, 1862</td>
<td>0,20</td>
<td>10g</td>
<td>0,40</td>
<td>20g</td>
<td>0,80</td>
<td>100g</td>
<td>0,80</td>
<td>100g</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>Sep 1, 1871</td>
<td>0,25</td>
<td>10g</td>
<td>0,40</td>
<td>20g</td>
<td>0,70</td>
<td>50g</td>
<td>0,50</td>
<td>50g</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>Jan 1, 1876</td><td>0,25</td>
<td>15g</td>
<td>0,50</td>
<td>30g</td>
<td>0,75</td>
<td>50g</td>
<td>0,50</td>
<td>50g</td>
</tr><tr><td>May 1, 1878</td><td>0,15</td><td>15g</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>0,15</td><td>15g</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A
simple letter would weigh no more than 7.5 grams and would cost 20
centimes. Apparently, the person who mailed this felt the letter was
not too heavy and paid the cost for a simple letter. The French postal
clerk, on the other hand, did not agree - and they gave us evidence of
that fact.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEha1CJS6SkOXLPRMt7wAjDxpyCMO3IgGNhkc_hF-YmKWM5PEfuEsxYfABubPN55Ei8ZEJJt14c2OmgJjsYQARozFPm9Kev2ERX_rXZjjCO9VxonjpwZi40XItH7yw4ktzKJg-W3KlulWBBk_CLPuGwIfhGYf5-5RVH4S9yRwpLLxReSZSoSmw=s144" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="141" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEha1CJS6SkOXLPRMt7wAjDxpyCMO3IgGNhkc_hF-YmKWM5PEfuEsxYfABubPN55Ei8ZEJJt14c2OmgJjsYQARozFPm9Kev2ERX_rXZjjCO9VxonjpwZi40XItH7yw4ktzKJg-W3KlulWBBk_CLPuGwIfhGYf5-5RVH4S9yRwpLLxReSZSoSmw" width="141" /></a></div><p>Well, well. It looks the writer exceeded the weight limit by one-half gram (the marking above reads "8 g" or 8 grams).</p><p>For
reference, 1/2 gram is the weight of half of a typical business card or
half of a raisin. It's not much. But, rules IS rules - and this
letter simply weighed too much. Which means the amount of postage paid
should have been 40 centimes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-WnEldyDBsSJYF9oVAR2NWUvVsSxIMPy1GXrGINtxG6r4C-nvT-lXICfymLf2vdTF_tBYwWRgj1QF2rmc1OpJGQ-aCb3GmbJb4qIJQsEozvN1fSFAWKKaUc9mzXsmXNGLidWbCJiv5hxB7lw6JS6ln10VmuPBwOTu9_OfAKbaLXgjPIw9mg=s735" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="385" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-WnEldyDBsSJYF9oVAR2NWUvVsSxIMPy1GXrGINtxG6r4C-nvT-lXICfymLf2vdTF_tBYwWRgj1QF2rmc1OpJGQ-aCb3GmbJb4qIJQsEozvN1fSFAWKKaUc9mzXsmXNGLidWbCJiv5hxB7lw6JS6ln10VmuPBwOTu9_OfAKbaLXgjPIw9mg=w105-h200" width="105" /></a></div>At
that time, the regulations for short paid mail in France required the
recipient to pay the full amount of postage AS IF nothing had been paid
at all. In other words, the postage stamp paid for none of the postage
required to send this item. Think of it as a donation to the French
Post Office if that helps your understanding. <p>It may not seem
fair that no credit was given for the postage provided - but at the
time post offices around the world were trying to enforce pre-payment of
letters. Maybe a few harsh economic lessons would be enough to get the
point across?</p><p>So, the amount due to the recipient was 40
centimes, which is represented by the big squiggle shown in the image at
the left. Yes, that is a "4," which stands for 4 decimes (equal to 40
centimes). Remember, the French often used decimes for postal
accounting, which is the equivalent to Americans referring to 4 dimes
instead of 40 cents.</p><p>Now, if you are still staring at the squiggle
and STILL don't see a "4," I understand. This just might be one of
those times you're just going to have to trust me.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Let's get a bit more complicated! </span></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7wH769EmWPCu2XS7GUWyt96M5u0E_Yz_DKyi6JRyhWH22SwWsfkyG68RlRr5IXFKriDfDzSaumZ8HaiMRUh31OEPlaJIKGVnXzA5TB_weHtbvbjs2ndeT7_EEW_GTfjflxOUykrqQgmHxo8oB_7vrIf3c03WnjdnWSX0k5hjIxd_18db7tw=s1724" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1724" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7wH769EmWPCu2XS7GUWyt96M5u0E_Yz_DKyi6JRyhWH22SwWsfkyG68RlRr5IXFKriDfDzSaumZ8HaiMRUh31OEPlaJIKGVnXzA5TB_weHtbvbjs2ndeT7_EEW_GTfjflxOUykrqQgmHxo8oB_7vrIf3c03WnjdnWSX0k5hjIxd_18db7tw=w640-h398" width="640" /></a></div><p>Uh oh! Here's that <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2021/10/thurn-taxis-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">Thurn and Taxis</a>
post again! Take a look at this 1865 folded lettersheet mailed from
Sonneberg (Thuringia) to Leipzig (in Saxony). Thuringia was another
area, like the Hessian States, that used the house of Thurn and Taxis
for their mail.</p><p>The target-like cancellations on the
stamps have the number "265" in the center, which was the number
assigned to the Sonneberg post office. The pencil number "265" with an
arrow pointing to the purplish marking was put on the cover by a
previous collector. The intent is probably to indicate that they
determined that the purple marking was also applied in Sonneberg.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTybDPwXXJSJydwJGP864C_6pzAsZbRQrTzVzA1peDAR3mLJSgxTzsVNh0j8PF4G4mnBQGuWs36JgVQoDAYZh2rjQOUIMq5NiQcpgsELjRMrOFo4OsJHqCW8TGrZZtoqOm156xHgFrp-w-QoMW1OS65gxUHaqVPGAlmsltixbGNTctY4ATbQ=s466" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="466" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTybDPwXXJSJydwJGP864C_6pzAsZbRQrTzVzA1peDAR3mLJSgxTzsVNh0j8PF4G4mnBQGuWs36JgVQoDAYZh2rjQOUIMq5NiQcpgsELjRMrOFo4OsJHqCW8TGrZZtoqOm156xHgFrp-w-QoMW1OS65gxUHaqVPGAlmsltixbGNTctY4ATbQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>This
marking indicates that the letter was sent as a "registered" letter
(Recommandirt). In order to register a letter, an additional 6 kreuzer
in postage was required. And, some of the numbers found on this cover -
those at the top right - are numbers used to track the progress of this
letter as it traveled to its destination. The "293" was likely the
number in the Sonneberg ledgers that tracked this letter's departure and
"205" may well have been Leipzig's ledger number to record the
reception of the letter at their office.</p><p>So - we have 6 kreuzer spoken for - that leaves us with 12 kreuzer in postage paid.</p><p>The
rate between Sonneberg and Leipzig was 6 kreuzer per loth. At the
time, mail in the German States included both a distance and a weight
variable to determine the postage required. The distance between the
two cities was between 10 and 20 meilen (German miles) - if they had
been closer it would only cost 3 kreuzer per loth.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitYSxYyblRbpiyHVDRindalYRndFa0Fm5lXMcpDThQy_YzweBwjiaQFAHfDJoIJOi6wiKHRn-mgG5Pj8uGkJt23sNGCOMGts8BULU8-A9vAoy391ZoOfcYXBgkE0zGSkvWMjhPASM-2YKCXQI_eKMVtrfblTrBx0ydm0AKXSvgpU8VI0sEvQ=s262" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="253" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitYSxYyblRbpiyHVDRindalYRndFa0Fm5lXMcpDThQy_YzweBwjiaQFAHfDJoIJOi6wiKHRn-mgG5Pj8uGkJt23sNGCOMGts8BULU8-A9vAoy391ZoOfcYXBgkE0zGSkvWMjhPASM-2YKCXQI_eKMVtrfblTrBx0ydm0AKXSvgpU8VI0sEvQ=w193-h200" width="193" /></a></div><br />And,
there it is! Our sneaky clue resided at the left, just under the
postage stamps. This scrawl in black pen reads "1 3/20 L," with the "L"
standing for loth, the weight unit in use by German postal services at
the time. One loth is roughly equivalent to a half ounce.<p>So,
this letter weighed over one loth and no more than 2 loth, which made it
a double weight letter and the total postage needed can be calculated
in this fashion:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Registration Fee 6 kreuzer</li><li>Rate per loth for distance between 10 & 20 meilen - 6 kreuzer x 2 = 12 kreuzer</li><li>Total = 18 kreuzer</li></ul><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Look on the other side </span></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVwEGn-6jMYZqeSMajgKZzlFAZjKPtfMkEtgAEm3U70U1sR3HAnjVuRRWh5JufcCWHsMReuUhXKRpfEPqMQTAcrXh8uMb6j_J5VuSC018-R2od_7VLlA0vdJjFRxaahwlVP7kfXrur3csfwXFEK2DQl6PSA1y9HrvU9oMcMcukGoMJJTsQXw=s1835" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1835" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVwEGn-6jMYZqeSMajgKZzlFAZjKPtfMkEtgAEm3U70U1sR3HAnjVuRRWh5JufcCWHsMReuUhXKRpfEPqMQTAcrXh8uMb6j_J5VuSC018-R2od_7VLlA0vdJjFRxaahwlVP7kfXrur3csfwXFEK2DQl6PSA1y9HrvU9oMcMcukGoMJJTsQXw=w640-h418" width="640" /></a> <br /></div><p>Here is another piece of French postal history to consider from 1864. This item was also sent as a "registered" item (<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Chargé)</span>. But, that's not what I want to focus on this time around. </p><p>This
item was returned to the sender, which would have been the Tribunal
Court in Chambery. The contents are a court summons that apparently did
not find the person they were "summoning!"</p><p>But, how did I know this was returned to the sender?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjt0xg1N9egXqqzht5tDzNEqirIlIKzapOTfmZ8KfBX4Q5c8Sw9PYZ_6KLtGEcXJ7PpqVNHjS4KNDMDOeE9lsTlClZbcHCutw3oTfEUyLPpcCJiVIWom44wTo7b-vjv0uTRxIFGIA61Y9T1jDl95gLRuvbuGf7sZSLynA9u2siMd1AgdjniaQ=s265" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="118" data-original-width="265" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjt0xg1N9egXqqzht5tDzNEqirIlIKzapOTfmZ8KfBX4Q5c8Sw9PYZ_6KLtGEcXJ7PpqVNHjS4KNDMDOeE9lsTlClZbcHCutw3oTfEUyLPpcCJiVIWom44wTo7b-vjv0uTRxIFGIA61Y9T1jDl95gLRuvbuGf7sZSLynA9u2siMd1AgdjniaQ" width="265" /></a></div><p>The
sneaky clue is at the bottom right, just under the Chambery postmark.
The words "au dos," when placed on a piece of letter mail explains that
the carrier or clerk should "look on the back" for more explanation.
So, I looked on the back - and this is what I found:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPbeYlmySBQJ8aAUZ2LR1NZSOROcjqRYH6__1Ez4TbeEJgI7Ao5XssBOOz7M3fDl5VSMWAyq_HlPz6cAjR_cG0e76c-h-TJrpQhbYODkcRDdC-x2GNARjKqllF88fXPp7fEpHeA0loY3wdLDjphefayi2G2vJAtuAz5ICiUl1Spf0VwLiUNA=s660" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="660" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPbeYlmySBQJ8aAUZ2LR1NZSOROcjqRYH6__1Ez4TbeEJgI7Ao5XssBOOz7M3fDl5VSMWAyq_HlPz6cAjR_cG0e76c-h-TJrpQhbYODkcRDdC-x2GNARjKqllF88fXPp7fEpHeA0loY3wdLDjphefayi2G2vJAtuAz5ICiUl1Spf0VwLiUNA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>The
word "Inconnu," which would translate to "unknown." The post office in
Chambery was unable to locate the recipient of this court summons and
they simply returned it to the Tribunal. </p><p>Well, if the postal service can't find you, I guess you don't need to go to court.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">And sometimes, there is no postal significance </span></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiV6Dqh1EV4C6n4AEjoY0PhsNtAyb6dllRx7kD9pVjvcrzA5iWoxVfQrmwixvW_0jlGWuCmzX-gF03gmP7RlOez7k_76oYxTRkLcez_xrpfm5xNCefv1D-RQaWmEVMwMzacF3nFCESwYTdEwcv8Y1b4ZWi4aUoThWUf512cpps6aMAGWseDSA=s1634" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1634" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiV6Dqh1EV4C6n4AEjoY0PhsNtAyb6dllRx7kD9pVjvcrzA5iWoxVfQrmwixvW_0jlGWuCmzX-gF03gmP7RlOez7k_76oYxTRkLcez_xrpfm5xNCefv1D-RQaWmEVMwMzacF3nFCESwYTdEwcv8Y1b4ZWi4aUoThWUf512cpps6aMAGWseDSA=w640-h356" width="640" /></a></div><p>Let's
close with this 1867 envelope that was sent from New Orleans, Louisiana
to Kurnik, Prussia (now in Poland). The postage applied is 28 cents,
which is the correct postage for a simple letter sent to Prussia (not
weighing more than 1/2 ounce). The New Orleans, New York and Aachen
markings clearly show the travels this letter took and the dates it
visited each location. A single marking on the back tells us it arrived
at the destination post office on April 15.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTcTlA8Hh4TwIb-QDyqbhGjpHTfyyXRr5xOcGAqsHBtAthU6RJ8nWj3raTDbf-p_4mZ3cc0vll4NtCwKSAwarOZNZGMJkLSdl0BIXVX4RY_Fb57y1uslK_XMjMSm4Ui9P8J1MCHvmMlkr4MOh3QLqRw2yMeL85MLIPyavS-sxSBbeEghfqAQ=s707" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="707" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTcTlA8Hh4TwIb-QDyqbhGjpHTfyyXRr5xOcGAqsHBtAthU6RJ8nWj3raTDbf-p_4mZ3cc0vll4NtCwKSAwarOZNZGMJkLSdl0BIXVX4RY_Fb57y1uslK_XMjMSm4Ui9P8J1MCHvmMlkr4MOh3QLqRw2yMeL85MLIPyavS-sxSBbeEghfqAQ=w400-h95" width="400" /></a></div><p>But,
what is all of this? The use of blue and red pencil might be an
indication that there might be some postal significance - but what?</p><p>I
have to admit that I was puzzled by these markings for some
time. The numbers "15" and "4" really don't connect to any postal rate
calculations that I could determine. And, there was no reason (and no
way) for this item to have traveled through Orleans, France.... unless
that is not the word "Orleans" written in blue.<br /></p><p>So, this
particular set of markings sat in my "to be solved" list for a long
time. Until, one day, I asked the right people and got an answer that
makes perfect sense.</p><p>This is a docket written by the recipient,
simply recording that the letter was received on the 15th of April (4th
month) from Orleans (New Orleans). The little red squiggle before the
numbers was simply an abbreviation to indicate a received date, which
matches the date of the postal arrival date on the back. They must have changed from a red to a blue pencil because the former was dull and they just wanted to finish the job without pausing to sharpen it.<br /></p><p>Sometimes
the answer is so simple that it is almost embarrassing to admit it to
others. In this case, I think I can hide behind the fact that most
Americans list dates in month/day order rather than day/month order.
That's about the only defense I have right now - but I do feel much
better now that the mystery is not so much of a mystery any more. </p><p>Thank you for joining me for a longer Postal History Sunday this week. I hope you were at least slightly entertained and maybe you learned a new thing or two. Have a good remainder of your day and a fine week to come!<br /></p><p>-------------------------------------</p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</span></p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-41083206549780574072023-12-03T05:30:00.591-06:002023-12-03T16:34:56.992-06:00A Little Help Goes A Long Way - Postal History Sunday<p>Welcome to this week's Postal History Sunday! As we enter the final month of the year I am forced, once again, to reconcile myself to some of the realities of the academic year. Those of you who have connections to schools, colleges or universities can probably relate to this. While I am no longer directly involved, my lovely bride is. As a result, I get to live the life of the school cycle vicariously!</p><p>To put it succinctly, December typically goes by in a blur.</p><p>And so, this week, I am going to focus on some of the aid I have received from many other people as I seek to learn more about postal history. For those of you who do not do much with postal history, it might be interesting for you to learn that there is a community of people who enjoy this subject. That community is often very willing to share information and knowledge. And, if you are involved in postal history, you are already aware of that community, or if you aren't, I should encourage you to participate!</p><p>As I started to gather material for this article, I realized I was going to have more than I could reasonably manage to put into one blog. So, I am going to focus on items where I received some help from the members of the Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/postalhistorycovers" target="_blank">Postal History - Covers and Stationery</a> group, started in 2017 by Manny Brautigam and Mark Goodwin. I suspect a future PHS or two will feature other forums.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Pretty Covers Deserve Good Descriptions</span></b></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"></span></p><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1R6bwSHULmqAuxKk1zob1dsrFEmSfQl21Rm7ugRhDxGa_c_XisM7Y-iSPcnG2wuT1IymFiQ2GOdtLj0qkcKd1CTDxJF-L61XlxJITjhJni9-GUtKn7LV8DOZlrXgitRgLEt55DwxDgOyi-2JbY7ihu7Xa5TrYB1OTziMlzB5sCzkr9djDqWFmjaJlN_e/s1461/Hannover3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="1461" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1R6bwSHULmqAuxKk1zob1dsrFEmSfQl21Rm7ugRhDxGa_c_XisM7Y-iSPcnG2wuT1IymFiQ2GOdtLj0qkcKd1CTDxJF-L61XlxJITjhJni9-GUtKn7LV8DOZlrXgitRgLEt55DwxDgOyi-2JbY7ihu7Xa5TrYB1OTziMlzB5sCzkr9djDqWFmjaJlN_e/w640-h346/Hannover3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br />The folded letter sheet shown above was mailed in Hannover (Hanover) on Jun 27, 1854 and was destined for Leipzig, in Saxony. Hannover was the major city in the Kingdom of Hannover at the time. This German State comprised most of northwest Germany, bordered by the Netherlands, the North Sea and the River Elbe. The Kingdom of Saxony was located southeast of Hannover and travel through other German States was required to get the letter from one place to the other.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Hannover was a member of the German-Austrian Postal Union (GAPU), which had a collective postal agreement that set rates based on a combination of distance and weight. This particular letter was a simple letter weighing no more than one Zollvereins-Loth (zolloth) which was equivalent to 16 2/3 grams. The cost was 3 silbergroschen for a distance over 20 meilen (3 silbergroschen was equal to 1/10 thaler in Hannover).</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Isn't it fun when we use a whole bunch of monetary, weight and distance units that many of us are not immediately familiar with?! No? Ok. Let's just say this simple letter was properly paid to get from Hannover to Leipzig and move on.<br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The letter is sent from one cousin in Hannover to the other in Leipzig, and this is where I got some interesting information from Ralf Reinhold. He points out that the address includes this description <span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"><b>«Piano-Forte Fabrik
des Herrn Irmler in Leipzig»</b>. <br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVkZ8CrTIujrqC4kee1xV8dbOEECGeveAv8tFHjVqpsP5U7-_a7ndqPvgHxwf-vhkSBVAceHlNlEDXV5FgpdHuCDZWf14W1IN2OmmeIEgUQOtdF2xaQ6nRgDftoZiO_nTYZfQG3Y_WdK5mNr0fh3O2Sa2jc-hO-suufw5eKvRiQREuMW6wlN_qw5FuAMF/s4448/Ernst-Irmler-Sons-1850-piano.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3287" data-original-width="4448" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVkZ8CrTIujrqC4kee1xV8dbOEECGeveAv8tFHjVqpsP5U7-_a7ndqPvgHxwf-vhkSBVAceHlNlEDXV5FgpdHuCDZWf14W1IN2OmmeIEgUQOtdF2xaQ6nRgDftoZiO_nTYZfQG3Y_WdK5mNr0fh3O2Sa2jc-hO-suufw5eKvRiQREuMW6wlN_qw5FuAMF/w400-h295/Ernst-Irmler-Sons-1850-piano.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1850 Ernst Irmler & Sons piano from <a href="https://antiquepianoshop.com/product/empire-style-ernst-irmler-sons-square-piano/" target="_blank">Antique Piano Shop</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">Apparently, cousin Eisenbrandt worked for a well-known piano maker. It appears that the <a href="https://www.irmler-piano.com/en/history-2" target="_blank">Irmler piano business</a> is still active, and Ernst Imler had a separate pianoforte business at the time. He was a close relative of the Irmlers that founded the company that still operates today. I am not sure if I can distinguish whether this individual worked for one Irmler or the other.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">The name "pianoforte" is a combination of Italian for, essentially, "soft and loud." Musicians among you will recognize the purpose of each, indicating the amount of volume you should achieve with your playing. Also known as a fortepiano, these were <a href="https://www.squarepianos.com/fortepiano.html" target="_blank">invented around 1700</a> as an improvement over other keyed instruments (harpsichord) that had no volume control. By the 1830s, the design had evolved to approximate the modern piano, but the use of "pianoforte" or "fortepiano" to describe the instrument was still common in 1854.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W_ySI7KlT3G7wUwECPV6pM_OepVwaDfRGwpEuZ6H3-KxMqHT451vApzG4HfS6MDQAXD8R-WLu_qGhR2wu_FTJWX5sv4FSpLUYYLsGhyBEEsjojAv-CCrUO5KJv5MJ8TYUjcoDNv-vNnRRsfaupb5UHTQA6HQ9dt5QitxuEiSKLfWeijgnpgUKsNRc_z7/s773/hannover3docketatleft.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="773" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W_ySI7KlT3G7wUwECPV6pM_OepVwaDfRGwpEuZ6H3-KxMqHT451vApzG4HfS6MDQAXD8R-WLu_qGhR2wu_FTJWX5sv4FSpLUYYLsGhyBEEsjojAv-CCrUO5KJv5MJ8TYUjcoDNv-vNnRRsfaupb5UHTQA6HQ9dt5QitxuEiSKLfWeijgnpgUKsNRc_z7/w640-h162/hannover3docketatleft.png" width="640" /></a></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">While Ralf did not do the pianoforte research, he provided me with the impetus to do some of my own now that I knew what some of the words in the address panel were. Ralf also provided clarification for the docket at the left. </span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"><b>«Es wird um </b></span><b><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">eilige</span></b><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"><b>
Besorgung gebeten.»</b> = "It is asked for the most urgent delivery."</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"> </span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">It's not uncommon to find letters during the mid-1800s that include similar dockets that attempt to urge the postal services onto greater speed in their duties. Of course, it probably made little to no difference - but that still didn't stop people from trying. Personally, I suspect many employees of postal services over the years would prefer that we all wrote clear addresses and paid proper postage to encourage the speed of delivery.<br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"> </span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes It's Nice to Stop Glossing Over Details </span><br /></b></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBcg96QlOHE25zgaRMWTv8TRicJ36wYnXgB_xjk0_3Vjl8tRnUbbQC6ZbU2_yJ0oZCWlTUhVT1WJAv3WyzZhyphenhyphenTzaAScuOYxnstxJVuTHOV1NjYs2oYqsZP4zM1SXVYy4gsMj-oMGHGaB03sSJ7MyQL9qOPrZgZFP2x-eZMGDZYvQLMwSqX27uW9Jen1nF/s1915/GBtoUSLateFee.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="1915" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBcg96QlOHE25zgaRMWTv8TRicJ36wYnXgB_xjk0_3Vjl8tRnUbbQC6ZbU2_yJ0oZCWlTUhVT1WJAv3WyzZhyphenhyphenTzaAScuOYxnstxJVuTHOV1NjYs2oYqsZP4zM1SXVYy4gsMj-oMGHGaB03sSJ7MyQL9qOPrZgZFP2x-eZMGDZYvQLMwSqX27uW9Jen1nF/w640-h378/GBtoUSLateFee.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><p></p><p>Here's a nice cover from the United Kingdom, in 1860, to the United States. My personal knowledge is very strong when we consider letters that go from the US to the UK and it's pretty good when things go the other way.</p><p>As an example, I can tell you that the postage rate was 1 shilling for a simple letter weighing no more than 1/2 ounce in weight. The green stamp on the right pays that part of the required postage. The red stamp paid for a one penny (1 d) late fee. The "Paid" marking told postmasters in the New York that the item was considered paid in full to the destination and the "5 cents" markings illustrated that the equivalent of 5 US cents were to be passed to the United States Post Office to pay for their share of the expenses.</p><p>I can even tell you, without looking it up, that the letter was sent on a Cunard Line ship under British contract - probably the <i>Arabia</i>. But, I often say little or nothing about this: <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GSVlaiklcf_9WQrRV1SxZH9-a0XlqSkClIEtGETbsflXK9hRhy6yf9Hmo5UEgY39yhHdYAY_5JzevP44fqIXoHWu0rATatYBNNlQYC7jcl9gT9wrRXyWGIjcWL6qwI_1oTP3owcwLBOgKsbLmgPIpB4R40aeiZ9UnaYSPWRAOdNTtHqfEbv6UBPpUZ5F/s166/inspectormark.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="166" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GSVlaiklcf_9WQrRV1SxZH9-a0XlqSkClIEtGETbsflXK9hRhy6yf9Hmo5UEgY39yhHdYAY_5JzevP44fqIXoHWu0rATatYBNNlQYC7jcl9gT9wrRXyWGIjcWL6qwI_1oTP3owcwLBOgKsbLmgPIpB4R40aeiZ9UnaYSPWRAOdNTtHqfEbv6UBPpUZ5F/s1600/inspectormark.png" width="166" /></a></div><p>Colin Hanson was nice enough to point out that this was an "Inspector's mark" that was placed there to indicate that the letter had been checked for weight. And, indeed, this folded letter has a little heft to it. If I worked for the post office at that time, I might have wondered if it weighed a bit more than 1/2 ounce. However, it did not and the inspector said it was good to go and put a "paid" marking on the letter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hWSwd65lSVW-h6ohZhHpmtVddy7WRwtjEbWy9TQ21RsOZm46bIZ-UfkX3spT1ku73orQ9qhJa7OfycSxDS05aGtOUyJXbaSUKGpr38tV9I1TI_UER2wU09O1A4lsmwZnYYRW9suocNH_4mGrPhE02mCm2IiZz-4gbMRZZD2rkQGNd4TbU_ZZDejt_ehz/s241/lateLondon.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="241" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hWSwd65lSVW-h6ohZhHpmtVddy7WRwtjEbWy9TQ21RsOZm46bIZ-UfkX3spT1ku73orQ9qhJa7OfycSxDS05aGtOUyJXbaSUKGpr38tV9I1TI_UER2wU09O1A4lsmwZnYYRW9suocNH_4mGrPhE02mCm2IiZz-4gbMRZZD2rkQGNd4TbU_ZZDejt_ehz/s1600/lateLondon.png" width="241" /></a></div><p>Colin also added that the lone marking on the back, dated November 17, 1860, confirms that this letter was sent on the evening despatch from the post office. This confirms for us that a 1 cent late fee was required to get this letter on its way. Colin <span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"><a href="https://www.gbps.org.uk/information/downloads/lphg-publications/LONDON%20LATE%20FEE%20and%20TOO%20LATE%20MAIL.pdf?fbclid=IwAR28Ck_wp2JPAm_CqNpfNytvfMhF2XwCgrrNWO_3ElsdHeFrk0EAPVUmd8E" target="_blank">suggested this resource</a> for persons who might like to learn more about these late fees and Ian Gibbons chimed in with <a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/#" target="_blank">this short write-up</a> for those who might like to view a mini-exhibit of this sort of material.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99pemQVViVnQBUzYNR7xI-tHUEV2X3rhkZzXL3eCLpyEciZ5lVQOtskAoz9zBXiqMMRt3EfNwfdnmNH-cxWM9-5-hYY3l_IK05A8CXl6UR4aZ9sRV3ahbHNN_ki2U20IuOn1et58meg_fhVsWzdz-7JpReAhi4fsGLQAboQcAua5QLzxTwyXXr17k3xeW/s968/slide2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="968" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99pemQVViVnQBUzYNR7xI-tHUEV2X3rhkZzXL3eCLpyEciZ5lVQOtskAoz9zBXiqMMRt3EfNwfdnmNH-cxWM9-5-hYY3l_IK05A8CXl6UR4aZ9sRV3ahbHNN_ki2U20IuOn1et58meg_fhVsWzdz-7JpReAhi4fsGLQAboQcAua5QLzxTwyXXr17k3xeW/w640-h484/slide2.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><p>And, speaking of things that were late, Stephen Teuma was kind enough to point out that the square London marking on the back of this folded letter signified that the letter was "too late" for the last mail of the day.</p><p>There are actually two possibilities here. First, it is possible the letter was received at the post office after the train or carriage had physically left with the mail. Or, it is possible that this person was unwilling to pay a late fee for the privilege of having the postal clerk make an exception and prepare the letter for travel even though the mail window had closed. </p><p>And yes, this topic is enough fun that I am sure there will be a future Postal History Sunday dedicated to it.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">A Couple of Useful Resources </span></b><br /></p><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">Postal history and philately (stamp collecting) are topic areas that are blessed with all sorts of resource material, including articles and books by others who also love these subjects. </span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">Here is a resource that I have used on and off to help me read some of the older hand-writing I come across. Of course, it doesn't always result in understanding all of the scribbles and scrawls, but it certainly can give a person a start. Someone, I no longer remember who, shared this in a forum for all to use. So, I share it again here - with the attribution that came with the image.</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">Yes, I know this one is not directly connected to the Facebook group. But, I'll share it there later so there is a connection.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwm4nLNYtRV8pbNjYtNuw3zShv8oKz6-OoVGqxjJkER_q3MfyxHpFHcVz1SPmN-3w6i1p15vi90TfDnwKBeyKaPdgAaWvPJy5jTNQUf9vzVlXpSmgw6q7c0aDcM9RxJf4ygVF3U0ZJB1RmOQewvStHgW0Hs7DJMuNL3_o8_Vu-FGGrKIRPNeKc9rVy_L_/s2000/alphabet_chart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1548" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwm4nLNYtRV8pbNjYtNuw3zShv8oKz6-OoVGqxjJkER_q3MfyxHpFHcVz1SPmN-3w6i1p15vi90TfDnwKBeyKaPdgAaWvPJy5jTNQUf9vzVlXpSmgw6q7c0aDcM9RxJf4ygVF3U0ZJB1RmOQewvStHgW0Hs7DJMuNL3_o8_Vu-FGGrKIRPNeKc9rVy_L_/w496-h640/alphabet_chart.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><p></p><p>Then, there is the possibility that someone will introduce you to a tool that might be useful for future research. Manny Brautigam mentioned the <a href="https://translate.yandex.com/ocr" target="_blank">yandex</a> translation tool. It will take an image and attempt to translate it for you. Manny illustrated how it worked with this image, written in French:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9jQz975oTjDM3JgXes8-ynPaO9FAdD0WOS8fd-DSN8xtIHVSrq3hGzAB1fFxTpq4XkddcuIopvLx98ixMeym4Ucozq6bfb3fpAxMw7Zb_OTOhoaMNMpUvoBr8n6jlLHjrNHNe1PhyphenhyphenG8/s320/convention+du+3+decembre+1857.jpg" width="320" /></p></div><p>The result, if you care to view it, is shown below. Of course, it is far from perfect. Some of the content is not successfully translated and some of the content should not have been translated. Most of the text under the line is a list of town names. Translating them doesn't help. For example, Trelon becomes "very-lon." <br /></p><p>Still, it never hurts to have more tools in the tool box - and this one is pretty good. I am grateful for Manny's suggestion! But, it's even better if you have some skills of your own to supplement their effectiveness so you can recognize where they fall short. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0DJt0Gr_0-Ic0MuttttjebwFR3fi9nbsR-gBS1DIXVEKzj8D_LBoDSkD3hiQRoW7D229NSU8dvxXbqFnfOxPNO0ZcVfXp7P2hL_c-v0oFthENxeg4ACrwASmDQN8nNw86XkUt8CMndA4_frkm4x9SHcNqfklosMckVzHMdDcvTCzeGQHlIIUMYumEh9B/s494/yandextranslation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="494" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0DJt0Gr_0-Ic0MuttttjebwFR3fi9nbsR-gBS1DIXVEKzj8D_LBoDSkD3hiQRoW7D229NSU8dvxXbqFnfOxPNO0ZcVfXp7P2hL_c-v0oFthENxeg4ACrwASmDQN8nNw86XkUt8CMndA4_frkm4x9SHcNqfklosMckVzHMdDcvTCzeGQHlIIUMYumEh9B/s320/yandextranslation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Yandex appears to work fairly well for documents with printed language, but it isn't made to handle handwriting. I believe there are tools in development that can work with those sorts of images but I am not personally aware of them at this moment.<br /></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Translate this</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowZaVs6m_AYxj-q9yZ5OcjGcmXS22U9rtCbWw0tK-mJ8T20eTcGiM12H-S74IXygRDeX_I-NwRmQiE1Uqkj6PSa6MvdRD3duYelTwSj9h5Sw1h0eV_AnS73SoS3Nho3WGkmcorm7EO2bY0-1LE-jYmWGXM0Np8C9_JqpQ5sZm4h8EKlrXX9u7-Xvtm5uE/s2042/internalregistered.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2042" data-original-width="735" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowZaVs6m_AYxj-q9yZ5OcjGcmXS22U9rtCbWw0tK-mJ8T20eTcGiM12H-S74IXygRDeX_I-NwRmQiE1Uqkj6PSa6MvdRD3duYelTwSj9h5Sw1h0eV_AnS73SoS3Nho3WGkmcorm7EO2bY0-1LE-jYmWGXM0Np8C9_JqpQ5sZm4h8EKlrXX9u7-Xvtm5uE/w230-h640/internalregistered.tif" width="230" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Sometimes it's just nice to know someone who can not only read a different language, but they also have some knowledge of postal history. After all, it's one thing to give a literal translation and it's quite another to give one that understands the context of what is going on (and what the person who is asking for the translation wants to know).</p><p>Kenneth Bryson has often helped when there are questions about Japanese postal history items. With his help, I was able to confirm that this is a registered letter (note the red marking at top left). In his words, this is what we are seeing:</p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"></span></p><blockquote> The Old Koban 8-sen stamp pays the 2 sen regular rate plus
the 6 sen registration fee. It has a large Osaka "Bota" cancellation
and a double-circle datestamp of the Shimanouchi branch post office in
Osaka, dated in accordance with 20 July 1886. The addressee is a person
in Shimagami town, Hyogo district (presently Kobe city).</blockquote><p></p><p> Kenneth also kindly reminded me that the correct orientation to read this letter is as shown above, but when it comes to the limitations of blog layouts, I still find myself showing you the back of the cover this way.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKGBdhAMLuNhCbXNQbuVH4ldoXJgr-c4mhe5vKmCz3FJ71srDim5iLuMkoHseZfiwcAasFzENgkZn1CBzuBxuRLaYcXB0zZlj-xafgm9beIaC6haqRH4h-bh1xwlW-f-dWKi5-JT-B2-GK6EStM2VfrYzfK7R3GEM-2JpmY2XBSwghQQ3W1-IOL3xh6LJ/s2033/internalregisteredback.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="2033" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKGBdhAMLuNhCbXNQbuVH4ldoXJgr-c4mhe5vKmCz3FJ71srDim5iLuMkoHseZfiwcAasFzENgkZn1CBzuBxuRLaYcXB0zZlj-xafgm9beIaC6haqRH4h-bh1xwlW-f-dWKi5-JT-B2-GK6EStM2VfrYzfK7R3GEM-2JpmY2XBSwghQQ3W1-IOL3xh6LJ/s320/internalregisteredback.tif" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Kenneth was also willing to give information for the writing and markings on the back.</p><p></p><blockquote><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">The
black handstamps identify a business in Osaka. The circular datestamp
is the Kobe office receiver showing that it arrived in Kobe in the
afternoon on 20 July.</span></blockquote><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"></span><p></p><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">At some point in my life, I had read something about the red marking indicating registration. At some other point in my life, I became aware of the 6 sen registration fee. But, of course, I couldn't even begin to be sure if those were pieces of real knowledge or just something I made up. It's moments like that when you are reminded that the social side of philately can save you from foolishly assuming you know something you don't!<br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>It never hurts to have a different perspective </b></span><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QXyyjbuv6qWhhPJBU3iVgTJevq75b6R4O4NaWnc_dnlv26XRT-_B6TW2ZVcxlojhPzY75T2MF9QVcU3wD5SIRowy0H4uJQm6TE0MUKa-NVB9rimZLpKFQD_QCC4HQd5t-acnSKs6JMa5-p0ED_V0LwgwczL8wuBSAYM8IgpG6eydE1K682lFPpwR2Th9/s1570/SP14_toFrancejpg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1570" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QXyyjbuv6qWhhPJBU3iVgTJevq75b6R4O4NaWnc_dnlv26XRT-_B6TW2ZVcxlojhPzY75T2MF9QVcU3wD5SIRowy0H4uJQm6TE0MUKa-NVB9rimZLpKFQD_QCC4HQd5t-acnSKs6JMa5-p0ED_V0LwgwczL8wuBSAYM8IgpG6eydE1K682lFPpwR2Th9/w640-h376/SP14_toFrancejpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Shown above is an item that I have pretty well "surrounded" when it comes to my own personal understanding. In fact, you can find a <a href="https://genfaux.blogspot.com/2022/12/something-more-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">pretty good explanation here</a>. The short explanation is that this 1864 has 12 cuartos in postage to pay for a simple letter from Spain to France. The French, in retaliation for a similar Spanish charge on letters from France, charged an additional 5 centimes from the recipient of the letter.</p><p>Ralf Reinhold chimed in again with this explanation:<br /></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"></span></p><blockquote>This
5 centimes "droit de factage" had the following meaning: Between 2
February 1860 and 15 July 1869, letters from Spain to France were
subject to an additional charge of 5 centimes, which the recipient had
to pay. The background was that, despite the Spanish-French postal
treaty of 1859 (in force since 2.2.1860), a delivery charge of 1 cuarto
per letter continued to be payable to the deliverer in Spain for
incoming mail from France (derecho de cartero). Therefore, France
charged all letters from Spain with a corresponding "droit de factage"
of 5 centimes, which was shown both in handwriting and by means of this
special 5 c tax stamp. When the delivery charge of 1 cuarto for letters
from abroad was abolished in Spain on July 2, 1869, France also
cancelled its delivery charge again as of July 15, 1869.</blockquote><p></p>Sometimes, when I write a Postal History Sunday, I do purposely leave out some details to keep the story accessible to as many readers as possible. But, it is possible that this might leave out details that are both interesting and, possibly, critical. It's very difficult to do better than this short description provided by Ralf - so I thought I'd share it here.<br /><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Outside Expertise</span></b><br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNj4ziV8yHeYeyg-ynrUFDh4sGJPhf-HZA-be0Vt08cRYbi7vz2B-4MLVQ85H9QXYrXaAUoMvBsjtmgeJncSsHMGeZzXZJ4sYA6z87pvvujkdSPyB-wTnfUxnMjjSPIAc16qSZyuC0ztkj5LHuF1zpq-Dc-CEcML8hOEYEMsrycP_9tUwLwcB0vxOrS4A/s1725/SA1_toUS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1725" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNj4ziV8yHeYeyg-ynrUFDh4sGJPhf-HZA-be0Vt08cRYbi7vz2B-4MLVQ85H9QXYrXaAUoMvBsjtmgeJncSsHMGeZzXZJ4sYA6z87pvvujkdSPyB-wTnfUxnMjjSPIAc16qSZyuC0ztkj5LHuF1zpq-Dc-CEcML8hOEYEMsrycP_9tUwLwcB0vxOrS4A/w640-h394/SA1_toUS.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /></div><p></p><p>I've said it before and I'll say it again - postal history is a huge topic and it isn't hard to find yourself outside of your comfort zone. That may be the best reason why it helps to be prepared to listen to others when they offer their own expertise.</p><p>This letter is definitely outside of my normal comfort zone. But, it's not as if I can't figure some of it out.<br /></p><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">This letter was sent from South Africa
in 1935 and the postage stamps did not properly prepay the postage required for it to be
sent to the United States. The T "Taxe" marking at the right of
the envelope was the international method to pass on recognition that postage (taxe) was due. The 2 cent US postage due
stamp shows payment of that postage in US currency. </span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">According to the Universal Postal Union (UPU), rates were based off of French currency and then converted to local currency. So, the "T
10 c" refers to 10 French centimes. One US cent <span></span>was equal to five French centimes. So, 2 US cents were due from the recipient to pay for this letter on arrival.</span></p><p>What I did not know was the postage rate required for a person in South Africa to fully prepay a letter. Andrew Massyn filled in that gap in knowledge, telling me that the rate was <span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">3d (3 pence) to other UPU countries. Only 2 pence in postage was paid, so
the 1 penny difference is doubled as a penalty for the underpayment.</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">At this point, it is tempting to grumble about how unfair it is to charge extra for what was likely an honest mistake. But, once you consider how much more labor was required to determine and then collect short paid or unpaid amounts, it becomes clear why this practice was followed.<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilOf2BqiTTG9a4oT7vY50a6EqNWEZ7wRu_AIJ3JAwiLIweJTCKnhomjtjCgvlYhjCNz0gk7F1ZE2l4O3xrgoV4NwbEpL_36WsMsjraIBzXqLF76xIUIk9Ns13Lrb_V9dKpXlGoOqCHr-mWYBtl-Ws7bC22d02UDac6HuygTiP4_qjdNszUvxozUEaHNtx/s1702/BL14_toFrancestmapless.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="1702" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilOf2BqiTTG9a4oT7vY50a6EqNWEZ7wRu_AIJ3JAwiLIweJTCKnhomjtjCgvlYhjCNz0gk7F1ZE2l4O3xrgoV4NwbEpL_36WsMsjraIBzXqLF76xIUIk9Ns13Lrb_V9dKpXlGoOqCHr-mWYBtl-Ws7bC22d02UDac6HuygTiP4_qjdNszUvxozUEaHNtx/w640-h412/BL14_toFrancestmapless.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Then there's this item that I've <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2020/10/writing-home-to-family-postal-history.html" target="_blank">written about</a> in the past. This letter that was sent from Brussels, Belgium to Bordeaux, France, in 1845. My write-up in the prior Postal History Sunday is accurate and pretty well done. But, Gregg Redner offered his detailed knowledge on Belgian postal history to point out that the green "B.3.R." marking is an indication that the letter traveled on the railroad through Mons, Belgium.</p><p>This is a good reminder that postal markings during the 1850s, 60s and 70s often have meanings that are not immediately apparent unless you have in depth knowledge about them. There are so many markings over so much time for so many places that no one person is going to remember them all.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71ZNg3Gbsd49i0AAuosUwdMTVfC3j2Fruv1c5mD0a60MKzdNZdQXcEEzdmbf3JyQBTyEMEooX11s4ZuIAZDFXSWCB-OCr5Zyz71yopgCTt4dfoyo5XygMa6T32KvGEGmwuQewKQ3VncIWkjXSYiq7Z1Sfo-sn3tNMPdPV5LECXpUKF2wnhAXo6hL7dt_s/s870/washfrank4ctradiator.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="870" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71ZNg3Gbsd49i0AAuosUwdMTVfC3j2Fruv1c5mD0a60MKzdNZdQXcEEzdmbf3JyQBTyEMEooX11s4ZuIAZDFXSWCB-OCr5Zyz71yopgCTt4dfoyo5XygMa6T32KvGEGmwuQewKQ3VncIWkjXSYiq7Z1Sfo-sn3tNMPdPV5LECXpUKF2wnhAXo6hL7dt_s/w640-h580/washfrank4ctradiator.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Then there is this interesting item that has appeared now and again in this blog. Gary Douglas recognized the font of the text on this tiny envelope and shared that there were typewriters that printed in capital letters only. </p><p>Persons with expertise in typewriters can figure out what sort of typewriter was used based on some of the characters and how they are represented. Gary suggested that we take note of the letters "O" and "R", as well as the number "8." You will see gaps or slots in those characters that run vertically, which can help us determine the type of machine.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7WkNlWb58m-qE9DvUC1DrjbNdT2IyKdMqQc00qiKgjqccJ460Ag4FpMYXktJW1W5yDfTOg_7JMFcCqtCmpLaEcQ2Noh17tIF02RUsXpwPi10WBNSB9eyHPAX5DlvwQOO6UuFwJpmPDDXE23ikZVdY-bV_TqEscksOFM7-FCB3R267bNXAR9f00I03pQ3/s261/allcapstypewriter.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="261" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7WkNlWb58m-qE9DvUC1DrjbNdT2IyKdMqQc00qiKgjqccJ460Ag4FpMYXktJW1W5yDfTOg_7JMFcCqtCmpLaEcQ2Noh17tIF02RUsXpwPi10WBNSB9eyHPAX5DlvwQOO6UuFwJpmPDDXE23ikZVdY-bV_TqEscksOFM7-FCB3R267bNXAR9f00I03pQ3/w400-h267/allcapstypewriter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Gary Douglas<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Gary purchased a typewriter with slots that run horizontally for these characters from a railroad museum. The keyboard can be seen above. But it is is not hard to imagine a typewriter that looks fairly similar to this one being used to put the mailing address on each envelope. It certainly helps to solve the problem with poor handwriting on the address panel of a cover.<br /></p><p></p><div class="xv55zj0 x1vvkbs x1rg5ohu xxymvpz"><div class="xmjcpbm x1tlxs6b x1g8br2z x1gn5b1j x230xth x9f619 xzsf02u x1rg5ohu xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x193iq5w x1mzt3pk x1n2onr6 xeaf4i8 x13faqbe"><div class="x1y1aw1k xn6708d xwib8y2 x1ye3gou"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1W7Zibr1SIK-QYCDH2FsaBWYMV0VEOQuxCZ8T7rTRrnmye4qBd7f6y7NhzORvco63vEscrR1rLgIwJiQn43JB9Rh3zZjtNTWwRjLYPzk2HnmRCib3q59iYkcPW8s7Csu8WE4U7DsXCFRMsPRBdftWtIR33vr2RWzq5T8RXfsaiBi48tkh24F5sMFPHBB/s2278/parks8cttoChina.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1515" data-original-width="2278" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1W7Zibr1SIK-QYCDH2FsaBWYMV0VEOQuxCZ8T7rTRrnmye4qBd7f6y7NhzORvco63vEscrR1rLgIwJiQn43JB9Rh3zZjtNTWwRjLYPzk2HnmRCib3q59iYkcPW8s7Csu8WE4U7DsXCFRMsPRBdftWtIR33vr2RWzq5T8RXfsaiBi48tkh24F5sMFPHBB/w640-h426/parks8cttoChina.jpg" width="640" /> </a> <br /></div><span><span class="xt0psk2"><span class="x3nfvp2"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x676frb x1nxh6w3 x1sibtaa x1s688f xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></span></span></span></div></div></div><p></p><p>And, Paul Davey, provided a bit more depth to this large envelope mailed from the US to China in the 1930s. According to Paul, the Brayton Meyer, Standard Vacuum Oil Company received a significant amount of mail that is now in collectors' hands. The company is a predecessor to ExxonMobil.</p><p>This is a good reminder that postal historians have gained much knowledge <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2022/01/correspondence-course-postal-history.html" target="_blank">from correspondences</a> to a relative few number of businesses that kept material over a period of time. These collections of postal materials provide opportunities to search for patterns as to how mail was handled, allowing us to understand what was normal - and what was exceptional.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiac3ehnaeNVPq5prQRMUET6FFGSkhgGSFHlUUXEB4PcqWsFUOlfNyiD9swW1A4aAwL4Qvzl2yulHM-4xb3bHwqFNRbUQHFOpZRVk5zZRezIbrN_68cHyRYZSyQ8t4pG3Vg0vf63ElmI6nUtbCjgM_RnPI_OXhA5fP3P8wl23nVIZli0pl_VHKRiZXDyL/s2287/parks8cttoChinaback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1497" data-original-width="2287" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiac3ehnaeNVPq5prQRMUET6FFGSkhgGSFHlUUXEB4PcqWsFUOlfNyiD9swW1A4aAwL4Qvzl2yulHM-4xb3bHwqFNRbUQHFOpZRVk5zZRezIbrN_68cHyRYZSyQ8t4pG3Vg0vf63ElmI6nUtbCjgM_RnPI_OXhA5fP3P8wl23nVIZli0pl_VHKRiZXDyL/w400-h261/parks8cttoChinaback.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>In part, because of this correspondence, we know that the piece of torn paper adhered to the back of the envelope is normal for a piece of registered mail. This matches up nicely with an overweight letter requiring 17 cents of postage for the cost of a piece of letter mail plus the 15 cent registration fee.<br /></p><p>And there you are, just a few examples of the ways connections to other postal historians can help build the depth of understanding one person has. As always, I am grateful to these people, and many others, who have willingly shared their knowledge and opinions about postal history and all the subject material that each item can connect to. </p><p>I hope you were entertained as we explored everything from markings on late mail to typewriters, pianos and handwriting. And even if you weren't entertained, maybe you learned something new. Either way, I'll count that as a win! Have a great day and fine week to come.<br /></p><p></p><div class="xdl72j9 x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xeuugli xh8yej3"><div><div class="x1tlxs6b x1g8br2z x1gn5b1j x230xth x9f619 xzsf02u x1rg5ohu xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x193iq5w x1mzt3pk x1n2onr6 xeaf4i8 x13faqbe xfmpgtx"><div class="x1y1aw1k xn6708d xwib8y2 x1ye3gou"><span><span class="xt0psk2"><a aria-hidden="false" class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz x1heor9g xt0b8zv" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1709291379367392/user/1479271581/?__cft__[0]=AZUKSjUIrx1LngLWiqdWHTokYKSUudDg2PBKhD6YLTB4IF58-Gr21NEFRuF1pMb2SD8T36Znz-fJ5TC6IB_g24vDbCFKN2EHVJBcY4Uu_3n4PFt9PexQApayu_9pUFj0Zd4cEXKdRxFeKg1iWpwhD98b&__tn__=R]-R" role="link" tabindex="0"><span class="x3nfvp2"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x676frb x1nxh6w3 x1sibtaa x1s688f xzsf02u" dir="auto"></span></span></a></span></span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><p><span id="PastaTxt" title="1967\Ano XXIX N.991">-----------</span></p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p></div></div></span></div></div></div></div>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-10183833978536940542023-11-26T05:30:00.506-06:002023-11-26T05:30:00.137-06:00More to Say - Postal History Sunday<p>Welcome to the first Postal History Sunday after Thanksgiving 2024. The American Thanksgiving holiday has been, and continues to be, an important one to me. It reminds me to <a href="https://genfaux.blogspot.com/2023/11/using-thanksgiving-to-cultivate.html" target="_blank">exercise my gratitude muscles</a> in all things that I do, including the postal history hobby. So, let me take a moment and thank everyone who has taken a moment to read and enjoy Postal History Sunday, it is a privilege to be able to share what I can with you.</p><p>I am also grateful for those who have provided feedback to me. I received kind appreciation for my efforts while I attended Chicagopex last week. And, every so often, someone will leave a comment on the blog, or in social media, or in an email providing encouragement, additional information, and positive criticism. All of this helps me to feel the effort has value. </p><p>This week, we're going to provide more information about some recent Postal History Sundays. It never seems to fail - after I complete an entry and put it out "into the wild" for everyone to read, I discover something else that might have been good to include. Well, is this my blog or not? Since it is, I can certainly take the time to do a PHS entry that shares some of these things with you!</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">A Subtle Difference</span></b></p><p>On November 12th, Postal History Sunday featured letters mailed from the <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/11/lets-send-letter-to-switzerland-postal.html" target="_blank">United States to Switzerland during the 1860s</a>. The topic was certainly big enough that it made sense to gloss over a detail or three just so the main points weren't obscured. </p><p>But, there was one omission I felt sure that someone would bring to my attention. Then, much to my surprise, no one did. <br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5814eTyQJCuVbIewwOpa2tzANyCNHz9cuBuN9ORoktefnswwSP3-MbD9gtNmuamsodWpFPdIcRP6TK4pIOUuRsY0_n8h4kZ8N3lxyj50RL5zdbvhqxWlfZosA-ZRvhHJDQ9n-adkIuDYx7KAO1IFBJQjFd-vH5-8bqUxWzIqI9p9GdbqnPBGI4IWhreL/s1588/SwitzerlandPCMoverpaid.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1588" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5814eTyQJCuVbIewwOpa2tzANyCNHz9cuBuN9ORoktefnswwSP3-MbD9gtNmuamsodWpFPdIcRP6TK4pIOUuRsY0_n8h4kZ8N3lxyj50RL5zdbvhqxWlfZosA-ZRvhHJDQ9n-adkIuDYx7KAO1IFBJQjFd-vH5-8bqUxWzIqI9p9GdbqnPBGI4IWhreL/w640-h416/SwitzerlandPCMoverpaid.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">35- cent per 1/2 rate via Prussian Closed Mail - to <b>Andelfingen, Switzerland</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>So, let me show two letters a bit closer together. The first
letter was mailed on April
27, 1863, just days before the postal rate was going to change to 33
cents. In fact, by the time it arrived in Aachen on May 12, the rate
had changed.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYGgl4CzIhSnjNSOtDlErXLa9KgRW99MqnHMStCGu9S2vxwCGaXPaVJ2FgBVNsAc1MbfSmGhrYP9MzJ9tJuYj-uFZKkY_5TBeNboGAc4l484kK8pYMIehtz_epS2k2eogtnxHc5Q8Tgm6hAGEszoGvEQPz0YrjyPCMcdNZVE1zeCe-ss_Lb16Nn4GroXJ/s1633/SwitzviaPCM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1633" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYGgl4CzIhSnjNSOtDlErXLa9KgRW99MqnHMStCGu9S2vxwCGaXPaVJ2FgBVNsAc1MbfSmGhrYP9MzJ9tJuYj-uFZKkY_5TBeNboGAc4l484kK8pYMIehtz_epS2k2eogtnxHc5Q8Tgm6hAGEszoGvEQPz0YrjyPCMcdNZVE1zeCe-ss_Lb16Nn4GroXJ/w640-h344/SwitzviaPCM.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">33-cent per 1/2 ounce rate via Prussian Closed Mail - to <b>Ambri, Switzerland</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>And this letter was mailed on July 30, 1866, arriving at its destination by mid-August. It is interesting to note that this letter was mailed just after the final battle of the Seven-Weeks War (Austro-Prussian War) on July 24 in the Grand Duchy of Baden.</p><p>And now I am going to ask the question I thought someone else might have asked:<br />
</p>
<table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;"><caption><b><span style="font-size: large;">What's going on here?</span></b></caption><tbody>
<tr>
<th>1863 Cover to Andelfingen<br /></th>
<th>1866 Cover to Ambri<br /></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEquR1j2cee5sz1DQV65Zk6MWhQHuXq6GV6G0SHCC2MXqp8gWwb3pAVTBds2pLq_dy7zXxo7kfIAQKt3JpbawjsquJZBTq0paH6GqwFxuJCVTXU4B8IYmvORN7An5Ni5g7AcD6BTywOqdtqI6XeVU-TcxKppxqujY76k4hSXAAqko9lmahgF83iPNFkTR/s319/switzPCMweiterfranco.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="242" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEquR1j2cee5sz1DQV65Zk6MWhQHuXq6GV6G0SHCC2MXqp8gWwb3pAVTBds2pLq_dy7zXxo7kfIAQKt3JpbawjsquJZBTq0paH6GqwFxuJCVTXU4B8IYmvORN7An5Ni5g7AcD6BTywOqdtqI6XeVU-TcxKppxqujY76k4hSXAAqko9lmahgF83iPNFkTR/s1600/switzPCMweiterfranco.png" width="242" /></a></div></td>
<td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD3HVnmTsYnszLEtUa_p0QTDf1TTQp5P9cCD9x22nGJ6vaDaHGBnQKkmpmw5TNmVztrA-UBMlwpYImJ7fARW9t6SuxuPAmdDkHFuAJVdI59BwYq107gFUqGAJtyJZ3MKPY8hEArwhM7UDHPvx5Ds-bIcB-tNUBOwbLY1b_C3Pd5xY8tZukdnDcIe6FJ88/s463/SwitzviaPCMweiterfranco.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD3HVnmTsYnszLEtUa_p0QTDf1TTQp5P9cCD9x22nGJ6vaDaHGBnQKkmpmw5TNmVztrA-UBMlwpYImJ7fARW9t6SuxuPAmdDkHFuAJVdI59BwYq107gFUqGAJtyJZ3MKPY8hEArwhM7UDHPvx5Ds-bIcB-tNUBOwbLY1b_C3Pd5xY8tZukdnDcIe6FJ88/s320/SwitzviaPCMweiterfranco.png" width="212" /></a></div></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<p>These markings are called weiterfranco markings and they were used by members of the German-Austrian Postal Union (GAPU) to indicate that a certain amount of postage was to be "passed forward" to the next postal service. In both cases, the postage was fully paid by the person who sent the letter in the United States. The US sent 12 cents to Prussia to cover the expenses Prussia was responsible for. That included the amount of postage that was due to Switzerland!</p><p>So, these weiterfranco amounts represented the amount of postage, in German currency, that was supposed to be handed over to Switzerland for each letter. The kicker here is that the amounts for each letter is different.</p><p>The first letter has markings that read "f1" and "3"</p><p>The second letter has markings that read "f2" and "6" <br /></p><p>The first thing we need to know about these is that the members of GAPU used two different currencies. The Prussians and northern states would be passing silbergroschen and they would include the "f" before the amount to indicate it was a weiterFranco (paid amount forwarded). So, the "f1" and "f2" would indicate 1 silbergroschen and 2 silbergroschen. These markings were applied at the Aachen exchange office in Prussia.<br /></p><p>The southern states used kruezer (3 kruezer for every 1 silbergroschen). So, the corresponding "3" and "6" refer to kruezers and were applied in Baden - likely on the train that carried the mail. </p><p>So, the first cover, mailed in 1863 at the 35 cents rate, was paid in full. The Prussians passed 1 silbergroschen on to Baden and then Baden passed the equivalent 3 kruezer on to Switzerland. The second cover, mailed in 1866, was mailed at the 33 cents rate and was alos paid in full. The Prussians passed 2 silbergroschen to Baden, which then passed 6 kruezer to the Swiss.</p><p>So, now the questions is... why?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiic3Ns-1GKyJ-utHtXeGE5-Jl3XBLho5FK1bYpreFg0hv5ShxqcHnu3nkVkkeAwFuflm2kymNXoz-ugM7K-oPGBYOkJm77Ofu_sg1l0GZZhrDgT7x0uMDLrMGkGsekCxo4er0TFISiOM61D1MFsETZTniEOEbESKXhuNb3GKkMuLt5aUWGaSojyfWRU9Ba/s1333/swiss-outline-map-andelfingenambri.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1333" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiic3Ns-1GKyJ-utHtXeGE5-Jl3XBLho5FK1bYpreFg0hv5ShxqcHnu3nkVkkeAwFuflm2kymNXoz-ugM7K-oPGBYOkJm77Ofu_sg1l0GZZhrDgT7x0uMDLrMGkGsekCxo4er0TFISiOM61D1MFsETZTniEOEbESKXhuNb3GKkMuLt5aUWGaSojyfWRU9Ba/w640-h420/swiss-outline-map-andelfingenambri.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The answer lies with the destination for each cover within Switzerland. At the time, Switzerland still had a distance component to their postal rates. In their agreement with the GAPU, there were two rayons (or regions). The amount of postage due to Switzerland was based on a rate of 1 silbergroschen (or 3 kruezer) per rayon for a simple letter. Our second letter was in the second rayon, so it required more postage to be paid to Switzerland.</p><p>If you would like to learn more about this, <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2022/01/one-for-you-two-for-me-postal-history.html" target="_blank">this Postal History Sunday</a> looks more carefully at mail between Switzerland and the GAPU.</p><p>And, for those that are curious - the rate people in the United States paid to send a letter to Switzerland via the Prussian Closed Mails did NOT change, even if the letter went to the second rayon of Switzerland. This was simply how Switzerland and the GAPU accounted for letters exchanged between them.<br /></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">More Humbuggery</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggn6rm8veSCjxSutMTHx6MxTPAnEjGuvIHr9hlErclU3tHxfJJCCtCAsc7dP1roeO00lZNFajrJFYaxArqye24QLZ4WW96AQcbHJwRuYI48DnxbtBd0Z5tUBiUor1Gr4YJoiU2uxzYNAnb2Bo_n7VmuA-sYqWrrxiCOxWc04hhzK_n5JJxysBMEq2mQBeG/s1679/deadletterhumbug.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1679" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggn6rm8veSCjxSutMTHx6MxTPAnEjGuvIHr9hlErclU3tHxfJJCCtCAsc7dP1roeO00lZNFajrJFYaxArqye24QLZ4WW96AQcbHJwRuYI48DnxbtBd0Z5tUBiUor1Gr4YJoiU2uxzYNAnb2Bo_n7VmuA-sYqWrrxiCOxWc04hhzK_n5JJxysBMEq2mQBeG/w640-h366/deadletterhumbug.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>On October 15th, I got to have some fun and <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/10/humbug-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">write a bit about Humbugs</a> and Dead Letter Mail. This 1865 letter was sent to the Dead Letter Office as either an "unclaimed" or an "unmailable" item. But, the postmaster wrote the word "Humbug" at the left. They were apparently aware that James E Dunnell was working some sort of scam that encouraged people to depart with their money.</p><p>In this case, the amount was $10.</p><p>I surmised that this might have been a lottery scam. But, guess what I found soon after writing that article? </p><p>This letter - which, unfortunately, does not have a corresponding cover (envelope or wrapper). It is a lithographed circular that is promoting a lottery with an entry fee of.... ten dollars.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PLTLjbeF4mlpcGE1qwgAAwPbMYcy3QvMG5QHSjE5q_Iib61cHMzstgsjW4yH0O6HCO0Xq4bcyWvmsyjpkIR5sLs4SRQRUcPgLZ1CQ0a9NCgXUB2_5jmREcQQJMRl0aeg2czXxP-TCVwilPSAw_C5EhxoOyJE43jkOfvB4P8Ebc_hKRiWC70WLHg2v1PR/s3220/lotteryletter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3220" data-original-width="2550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PLTLjbeF4mlpcGE1qwgAAwPbMYcy3QvMG5QHSjE5q_Iib61cHMzstgsjW4yH0O6HCO0Xq4bcyWvmsyjpkIR5sLs4SRQRUcPgLZ1CQ0a9NCgXUB2_5jmREcQQJMRl0aeg2czXxP-TCVwilPSAw_C5EhxoOyJE43jkOfvB4P8Ebc_hKRiWC70WLHg2v1PR/w506-h640/lotteryletter.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><p></p><p>This letter is from the "Office of Thos Boult & Co" who professed to be General Lottery Agents. In fact, they claimed to be "Licensed" by the government. And, even better for me and my story - this letter is dated March 21st, 1865. While it is certainly not directly related to my "Humbug" envelope, it is direct evidence showing that the lottery scams were quite active at that time.<br /></p><p>The letter opens by recognizing that most states had laws against lotteries:</p><p></p><blockquote>"Dear Sir, From what we can learn of Public Sentiment in your State, we are satisfied that there is among your People, a strong prejudice against dealing in Lotteries and feeling that this want of Confidence, cannot be removed until some person draws a good Prize."</blockquote><p></p><p>Of course, like any "good" scam letter, they make certain to underline the last part to get the mark's attention. The idea being proposed is that the recipient can trust them to represent them for a lottery (thus getting around the law).</p><p></p><blockquote>"... we offer you the chance of a Handsome Prize in a Certificate of a Package of Sixteenths of Tickets on the Grand Havana Plan Lottery to be drawn ... on the 30th day of April 1865."</blockquote><p></p><p>Thus far, the letter has not quite gone so far as to promise a positive result. However, they do go on to illustrate how much there is to gain - with so little to lose.</p><p></p><blockquote>"... no deception lies concealed under this communication; now as our object is to increase our Business among your Citizens; by putting you in the possession of a Handsome Prize; we offer you the above described Certificate with however this understanding that after we send you the money it draws, you are to inform your friends and acquaintances that you have drawn a Prize at our Office."</blockquote>Of course, the saying "thou doth protest too much" comes to mind. No, no! Of course, we don't intend to take your money and run. We just want to take your FRIENDS' money and run. <p></p><p>Now, they still won't promise that the mark is guaranteed a win, but...</p><p></p><blockquote>"... if the Certificate does not draw you net at least $6000 we will send you another Certificate in one of our ever Lucky Extra Lotteries for nothing you perceive that you now have an opportunity to acquire a Handsome Prize; that may never again present itself; Improve it before it is too late, by sending your Order immediately..."</blockquote><p></p><p>This letter seems to have everything. It tells us that we shouldn't delay and it even has it's "but wait, there's more!" moment. They'll send you another chance at a special lottery for free. It's a two for the price of one deal! And, of course, by the use of capital letters where they don't exactly belong and some judicious underlining they do a fine job of pointing us to the main issues of concern.</p><p></p><blockquote>"To facilitate the prompt execution of our proposal use the enclosed envelope and make your remittance to our Office... Wafer or Seal your letter so that it will not come open in the Mails. Please consider this letter Strictly Private and Confidential, and send your order without delay"</blockquote>So, we come to the bottom of the letter. The very same people that are hoping to improve their business by having more people participate are now attempting to tell the mark that this correspondence is a secret.<p></p><p>And how much was the cost to enter to have the opportunity for a "Handsome Prize?" </p><p>Ten Dollars.</p><p>So, even if the envelope to James Dunning had nothing to do with this particular scam, there was likely no end to copy cats of this scheme. It really does seem like a good possibility that the envelope held money to enter an illegal lottery.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUSG8h-x0z_oD2w6pMYp5Nde99rClpLQ6sJr0dTEtjiTX60OWMlyqeamxKw9NNjERMzVNPRCUidsfBTH8Y0Ph6zUKvzXBotKpRF5-ob7p50JI7ygbTACCzz0khV_nrDMv8D61uut5nHEgzKmQ3i3mleCK5EhV4ItIMCTl5TYMpTscAeq73zJQXq-rQbTa/s6240/IMG_9527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUSG8h-x0z_oD2w6pMYp5Nde99rClpLQ6sJr0dTEtjiTX60OWMlyqeamxKw9NNjERMzVNPRCUidsfBTH8Y0Ph6zUKvzXBotKpRF5-ob7p50JI7ygbTACCzz0khV_nrDMv8D61uut5nHEgzKmQ3i3mleCK5EhV4ItIMCTl5TYMpTscAeq73zJQXq-rQbTa/w426-h640/IMG_9527.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from US Mail and Post Office Assistant<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> The US Mail and Post Office Assistant was a monthly periodical that provided a wide range of material concerning the US Post Office and the mail during the 1860s. Lottery swindles show up periodically in this periodical, including the one described above for a "Wright, Gordon & Co." If you would like to read some of the detail, you can click on the image for a larger version.</p><p>This is where I realized that Jas. Dunnell may not have been the individual who was running the scam. Instead, someone who would claim to be their "agent" might have attempted to pick up the mail for this, potentially fictional, individual.</p><p>Perhaps the one person from this period of history you might think of when we talk about humbugs would be P.T. Barnum. And, as a matter of fact, Barnum wrote a book titled "The Humbugs of the World" that was published in 1866. In it, he reveals a wide range of scams, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26640/pg26640-images.html#CHAPTER_XXI" target="_blank">including the very lottery scheme</a> outlined by this letter.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdm8tjFAKdkXb9v4Rubt6raOoaN4ohpn9fnC2MobHRwgNEQp8WihsT-d4dr4cNmWNhcjpK9FqlF0Zl_JN2upNvC3pX-6aGSS2zSYXR_03OnencDJE_UX_pYtNiLZXCw132stBThN0DiNf9gOOsfjvxJxAEGju2DfA4LUyUWSC6RPwRTN4JUwOzIR5lkhyphenhyphen/s697/PT_Barnum_1851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="558" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdm8tjFAKdkXb9v4Rubt6raOoaN4ohpn9fnC2MobHRwgNEQp8WihsT-d4dr4cNmWNhcjpK9FqlF0Zl_JN2upNvC3pX-6aGSS2zSYXR_03OnencDJE_UX_pYtNiLZXCw132stBThN0DiNf9gOOsfjvxJxAEGju2DfA4LUyUWSC6RPwRTN4JUwOzIR5lkhyphenhyphen/s320/PT_Barnum_1851.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">P.T. Barnum 1851 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum#/media/File:PT_Barnum_1851-crop.jpg" target="_blank">public domain image</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Barnum revealed that there were several "companies" that used the same scheme including Boult & Co, T Seymour & Co, Hammett & Co, and Egerton Brothers. And, while he ridiculed the scam itself, he had very little patience for those who sent them money either.</p><p></p><blockquote>"Now, those who buy lottery tickets are very silly and credulous, or very
lazy, or both. They want to get money without earning it. This foolish
and vicious wish, however, betrays them into the hands of these lottery
sharks. I wish that each of these poor foolish, greedy creatures could
study on this set of letters awhile. Look at them. You see that the
lithographed handwriting in all four is in the same hand. You observe
that each of them incloses a printed hand-bill with “scheme,” all
looking as like as so many peas. They refer, you see, to the same
“Havana scheme,” the same “Shelby College Lottery,” the same “managers,”
and the same place of drawing. Now, see what they say. Each knave tells
his fool his only object is to put said fool in possession of a handsome
prize, so that fool may run round and show the money, and rope in more
fools."</blockquote><p></p><p> Later on in the same chapter, Barnum outlines another lottery scheme that appeared in late 1864. This scam took the approach of telling the mark that they had a lottery ticket with their name on it that had already won, but since they hadn't purchased the ticket, they had to do something to collect their winnings.<br /></p><p></p><blockquote>“Your ticket has drawn a prize of $200,”—the letters
all name the same amount—“but you didn’t pay for it; and therefore are
not entitled to it. Now send me $10 and I will cheat the lottery-man by
altering the post-mark of your letter so that the money shall seem to
have been sent before the lottery was drawn. This forgery will enable me
to get the $200, which I will send you.”</blockquote><p></p><p>Barnum outlines clearly how the post office is often used for the lottery swindle. The perpetrator could mail a batch of circulars at any post office. And since they were printed (lithographed) they qualified for the cheaper postage rates. They could drop the circulars off at a post office and leave town. There would be no office or person there to whom it could be traced.</p><p>As far as payments, those too could be directed to some smaller post office where a relatively anonymous person could call for letters. And if the postmaster or others in the town started acting as if they were suspicious, they could simply leave the area and allow the rest to go to the Dead Letter Office. All the better to run the scam again some other day without being caught.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Mr. Meeker, I presume?</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlHjKeAgrYK6RL4i1hmI_KM_WbDvbPgKXGqOUs-CkhQBqsbuBN9T4xUyeggW7yH95zGT4PH_zZpUfaVxvf96qT6_pFqQoLnjk3NRpR9HbWvrVgtJ4r7IlToiqteLnjOYswH3VqngqNH9OZJRonuCqrn2oECEMJvns-gkh6Qa5V4v9sC30_lD3E9W9gRy3/s1706/trinidadreturned.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1706" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlHjKeAgrYK6RL4i1hmI_KM_WbDvbPgKXGqOUs-CkhQBqsbuBN9T4xUyeggW7yH95zGT4PH_zZpUfaVxvf96qT6_pFqQoLnjk3NRpR9HbWvrVgtJ4r7IlToiqteLnjOYswH3VqngqNH9OZJRonuCqrn2oECEMJvns-gkh6Qa5V4v9sC30_lD3E9W9gRy3/w640-h418/trinidadreturned.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>This
envelope, mailed in 1936, was sent to a Mr. Lincoln V. Meeker. The
address directs the letter to the ship at Port of Spain, Trinidad.
However, when delivery was attempted, it was found that Mr. Meeker had
"left the ship" and apparently no forwarding address was known. As a
result, the letter was returned to Albany, New York. </p><p>The letter was sent via a Foreign Air Mail service to Trinidad at the cost of 20 cents per 1/2 ounce of weight. This airmail letter rate was effective from Jan 1, 1930 until Nov 30, 1937. For those who enjoy collecting US air mail, I believe this was carried on FAM route 6 from Miami. Those who know air mail far better than I can confirm or deny that bit of information. <br /></p><p>The <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/09/pick-one-thing-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">September 10 Postal History Sunday</a> included this item as one of a few that I featured on that date. And, to be honest, I didn't give it too much space then. Since that time, I have identified someone who could possibly be our mysterious Mr. Lincoln V. Meeker - the person who left the ship called the <i>Steel Navigator</i> before he could receive this letter from Albany, New York.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlszFacI3AkCIVtVdkikivp_5HpTbWd-TWkXlYXx5XT5RVm5Jc9Lv0VctFCtOt5JMnI7ds2eECOPeWDd-PhQpaQb8ZGjBZSKAJ72kECUnY44HncYnHiuO6HR2QckTcP6jBncatExjMzPcmSiY5PopY3k6usXY0aV-392kY3hjtMxM5kZOkKsMj6LQmLIN/s389/americanagriculturist.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="389" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlszFacI3AkCIVtVdkikivp_5HpTbWd-TWkXlYXx5XT5RVm5Jc9Lv0VctFCtOt5JMnI7ds2eECOPeWDd-PhQpaQb8ZGjBZSKAJ72kECUnY44HncYnHiuO6HR2QckTcP6jBncatExjMzPcmSiY5PopY3k6usXY0aV-392kY3hjtMxM5kZOkKsMj6LQmLIN/w640-h460/americanagriculturist.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lincoln V. Meeker (at left), Regional Director of Union Carbide Pan America 1967<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I was able to locate someone with that name in a publication titled Revista das Classes Produtoras (Magazine of Production Classes), <span id="PastaTxt" title="1967\Ano XXIX N.991"><a href="http://docvirt.com/docreader.net/DocReader.aspx?bib=acrjrevistas&pagfis=19439" target="_blank">1967\Ano XXIX N.991</a>. The connection between Union Carbide (where this Lincoln V Meeker served as Regional Director Pan America) and the <i>Steel Navigator</i> is largely coincidental - but how many Lincoln V Meekers existed that allow us to draw those lines?</span></p><p><span id="PastaTxt" title="1967\Ano XXIX N.991">The Steel Navigator was a commercial steam ship for the <a href="https://www.isthmianlines.com/" target="_blank">Isthmian Line</a>. This line of steamships were an outgrowth from the US Steel Corporation. It was not uncommon for companies, such as US Steel, to begin looking to acquire ships and building their own transportation service branch. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59ksal49MlnL7imWJR4jWngCTuKooR5H0KvPHOPgR9JlVm5MgVeC8GMV5qJyIkbf41_nUfEeBeEpEBHJ9z-WHNdHLDbJuLDtsmb8t_8dSzWxFTTkPaDEkFu6ZJkUvO_9yiNFHKRBqVeBqVM4cN0DNGdCSpVfVUPygoZw0S2UWd1_85Q4XO2e_ZiDsvIGu/s368/ussteelnewsjuly1936.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="286" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59ksal49MlnL7imWJR4jWngCTuKooR5H0KvPHOPgR9JlVm5MgVeC8GMV5qJyIkbf41_nUfEeBeEpEBHJ9z-WHNdHLDbJuLDtsmb8t_8dSzWxFTTkPaDEkFu6ZJkUvO_9yiNFHKRBqVeBqVM4cN0DNGdCSpVfVUPygoZw0S2UWd1_85Q4XO2e_ZiDsvIGu/w311-h400/ussteelnewsjuly1936.PNG" width="311" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cover - US Steel News, July 1936<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span id="PastaTxt" title="1967\Ano XXIX N.991">The <a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/economics-business-and-labor/businesses-and-occupations/union-carbide-corp" target="_blank">Union Carbide</a> story has some parallel history in that, like US Steel, it was first incorporated in the early 1900s. Union Carbide's focus was on metal alloys early in its history. It is credited with a low carbon ferrochrome that was a precursor to stainless steel. </span></p><p><span id="PastaTxt" title="1967\Ano XXIX N.991">This is how we make a connection for Lincoln V. Meeker. Is it possible that he was a passenger on the Steel Navigator - and perhaps an employee of US Steel? His position with Union Carbide as the Pan America Regional Director gives us both a connection to related product lines and an area of the globe. It is possible that the intended recipient for this letter was a young Lincoln V. Meeker and, at the point this letter got to Trinidad, he had gone forward on another ship, a plane, or whatever, to another location.</span></p><p><span id="PastaTxt" title="1967\Ano XXIX N.991">Or maybe he jumped ship to Union Carbide from US Steel? </span></p><p><span id="PastaTxt" title="1967\Ano XXIX N.991">For now, this is all I've got to go on. Obviously, we can't yet draw any conclusions - it's all just a few facts that, with a lot of imagination, just might hold together. But, it's progress. Even if that progress turns out to have gone in the wrong direction.</span></p><p><span id="PastaTxt" title="1967\Ano XXIX N.991">And now, we find ourselves at a stopping point for this week's edition of Postal History Sunday. I hope you were entertained, at least a little bit. And maybe, just maybe, you learned something new.</span></p><p><span id="PastaTxt" title="1967\Ano XXIX N.991">-----------</span></p><p>Thank you for joining me today! Have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p><p></p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-84036024873584457762023-11-19T05:30:00.364-06:002023-11-19T08:10:23.764-06:00A Sense of Fun - Postal History Sunday<p>This week's Postal History Sunday is being written "on location" at
Chicagopex, an annual event held in (surprise!) Chicago every November.
The name "Chicagopex" is a combination of the city name and a
shortening of "Philatelic EXposition" or PEX and it is a three-day event
where philatelists (stamp collectors) and postal historians gather.
There are opportunities to buy and sell items, chances to view
interesting exhibits of material, and time to chat with others who have
similar or related interests.</p><p>I was enjoying my time at the show,
but there was a low-grade worry niggling at my brain as Saturday
progressed. What was I going to do for Postal History Sunday this
week? I'd started a few things, but none were so close that they would
be an easy finish.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYabpxJ8M5ePwDU8SkwLgDy6Qa0SoJWIe8h3FJNi_17AII602gWsxj5NniE3t7PYSdExbMP9_WPc76tw5fJbKbBq1fwVo1QUpoTNzp0tY5SNZCidlkOberVCvBfnLf5ogWwN8mWPo0TdSnN5pWJoItbokUQ7xk6a6LELDn_FwZOxK5tftNXDjcEfmOSPBm/s4000/chipexsneek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYabpxJ8M5ePwDU8SkwLgDy6Qa0SoJWIe8h3FJNi_17AII602gWsxj5NniE3t7PYSdExbMP9_WPc76tw5fJbKbBq1fwVo1QUpoTNzp0tY5SNZCidlkOberVCvBfnLf5ogWwN8mWPo0TdSnN5pWJoItbokUQ7xk6a6LELDn_FwZOxK5tftNXDjcEfmOSPBm/w640-h480/chipexsneek.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">item in John Hornbeck's exhibit<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Then,
as I was looking at an exhibit that focused on a specific type of Dutch
postmark called a "point cancellation," I saw a cover from a town
called Sneek. While the name is pronounced to sound more like Snek, I
still can't help myself but read it as an American might (sneek). And
that's when I started considering my sense of fun.</p><p>After all, if
my mispronunciation amuses me and then gets me to look a little longer
at Dutch point cancels - why not? And the good news is that there was
some nice postal history from the 1860s in that exhibit that caught my interest too.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlG6AGR8AtiAxoE95_W_wK7_YgPevC4bvq8Jp1BKxNwtb0EhXPtBtHNjOL7rNQJa6q3bJRkRVURNT-noIx2mefh1b03u07EVRWcaU9PEE3aKch2wqAKmiLfrfrfgAO86YTPugSoQGn4TKcckD0HPz4x3haK93J3kBQXTKhsEvbLmNhuXX7u70sgrMq3QXz/s4000/chipexamersfoort.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlG6AGR8AtiAxoE95_W_wK7_YgPevC4bvq8Jp1BKxNwtb0EhXPtBtHNjOL7rNQJa6q3bJRkRVURNT-noIx2mefh1b03u07EVRWcaU9PEE3aKch2wqAKmiLfrfrfgAO86YTPugSoQGn4TKcckD0HPz4x3haK93J3kBQXTKhsEvbLmNhuXX7u70sgrMq3QXz/w640-h480/chipexamersfoort.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>For
example, here is an item that might make a nice "Merry Chase" PHS
entry. It was mailed from Amersfoort in the Netherlands to Florence.
It looks like Milano (Milan) and Venezia (Venice) were also part of its
travels. This is the sort of thing that is often "fun" for me. But
what is fun for me may not be the main interest for someone else. In
this case, John Hornbeck focuses on those cancellations, postmarks that
were used to show that a stamp was used to pay the postage.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDMAyOYsxuSXvYwA_CaZITqHTPHfMn8Vbra-ADYfF7sD7kRj4itQqt9gU_Vj3hAHIsKXW5h6OSsfuFH8SdDJCI9MCU1uSpzmE66XcPRNV92m4NauqOb9DP7M-lTbUDhCsAa1G3ttc_saWiWMcGhK8f5ZQMWUoyJhtWakmDnREWwuft5xjK_qOMDV44pQD/s4000/chipexhindenburg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDMAyOYsxuSXvYwA_CaZITqHTPHfMn8Vbra-ADYfF7sD7kRj4itQqt9gU_Vj3hAHIsKXW5h6OSsfuFH8SdDJCI9MCU1uSpzmE66XcPRNV92m4NauqOb9DP7M-lTbUDhCsAa1G3ttc_saWiWMcGhK8f5ZQMWUoyJhtWakmDnREWwuft5xjK_qOMDV44pQD/w640-h480/chipexhindenburg.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from Chip Gliedman's exhibit<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> Here's
a different sense of fun that might be understood by a broader range of
the population (unless more people than I think like the "Sneek"
angle). How about a piece of mail that was salvaged from the wreck of
the Hindenburg? </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CgWHbpMVQ1U" width="320" youtube-src-id="CgWHbpMVQ1U"></iframe></div><p></p><p>Yeah. That wreck.</p><p>While
there is nothing actually fun about the disaster and the loss of life
that came with it, there is something amazing about seeing, in person,
an artifact that survived the crash. It's the sort of amazing thing
that most people can relate to.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXssECs8RTwkT2f6kfK-v_lvj0BZCcEbaCSbEACkQtzcBb1mvtMLH737ZG92FwvWHtNAGETDqFuGWsWGB_cOAvlJ6dTlExTcR-p7gil5dlOTWxbe4SPf_RhyT_kHSVO6ZH4iULEApHjIVXJ__0HcDOg1eO1GXSFWdcCfSCzJV-oPnkdrP2m9woYwKgwKGH/s4000/chipextobasco.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXssECs8RTwkT2f6kfK-v_lvj0BZCcEbaCSbEACkQtzcBb1mvtMLH737ZG92FwvWHtNAGETDqFuGWsWGB_cOAvlJ6dTlExTcR-p7gil5dlOTWxbe4SPf_RhyT_kHSVO6ZH4iULEApHjIVXJ__0HcDOg1eO1GXSFWdcCfSCzJV-oPnkdrP2m9woYwKgwKGH/w640-h480/chipextobasco.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from Omar Rodriguez's exhibit<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Postal
history and philately covers a lot of territory and those who enjoy it
can approach it from all sorts of directions. The first postage stamp
issue for Mexico was overprinted with the name of each district and it
could be an interesting challenge to see if a person could find an
example from each district. Including Tabasco.</p><p>And yes, tabasco sauce used a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB119197321923754093" target="_blank">pepper that originated from this region</a> as a principle ingredient. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmGojb41ItmWw5CCZZ4PboDvSp3mV9Gmws4BO6xFKBb9CocNs9y0i6qtVr8uRKhJNu__I8KYCCgL7Z-tFqOz-CW-rgYrg0K-7ysieISxUs53cleu4gNG93xV4h-OimgXYSbg-aVXjxhRKIlkf-Vu-Mq4mEH3gArtGg8rtflUIu0z-Zi9YJWspDSmBSFqu/s4000/chipexpolandflagdouble.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmGojb41ItmWw5CCZZ4PboDvSp3mV9Gmws4BO6xFKBb9CocNs9y0i6qtVr8uRKhJNu__I8KYCCgL7Z-tFqOz-CW-rgYrg0K-7ysieISxUs53cleu4gNG93xV4h-OimgXYSbg-aVXjxhRKIlkf-Vu-Mq4mEH3gArtGg8rtflUIu0z-Zi9YJWspDSmBSFqu/w480-h640/chipexpolandflagdouble.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from Jim Mazeppa's exhibit<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Sometimes,
philatelists and postal historians pick different ways to focus on what
they study and collect. We can focus on cancellations, geographic
regions, time periods or maybe a specific postage stamp issue.</p><p>The
Overrun Countries issue of 1943 and 1944 featured the flags of
countries overrun by the Axis powers. As a young collector, this was a
series that I hoped to complete some day. So, of course, I can't help
but appreciate seeing a whole exhibit featuring that series.</p><p>And
when you focus on some smaller portion of philately or postal history, a
person can dig into all kings of details. For example, the process of
printing these bi-color stamps could result in some flaws in the
printing. Shown above are examples where the red ink was doubled,
making it look blurry.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd247ARgwFD7_mHJs-xgl6mAEsKEB5L4xRckD_Ka51TTkKbVCMIVmgJCyxXhoCp_CPPX1z-v-2YiYZMpgsD_XSi8PgrawjqADO35anhbQT2CtSBe526CyV_ezaPhIb8emE_pSATjmkIKgiVx5EbBbKCmzIj5yzjxJ364l_zdyT3Fm9M3ANTYTeuvjGS0fn/s4000/chipexpaperfolds.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd247ARgwFD7_mHJs-xgl6mAEsKEB5L4xRckD_Ka51TTkKbVCMIVmgJCyxXhoCp_CPPX1z-v-2YiYZMpgsD_XSi8PgrawjqADO35anhbQT2CtSBe526CyV_ezaPhIb8emE_pSATjmkIKgiVx5EbBbKCmzIj5yzjxJ364l_zdyT3Fm9M3ANTYTeuvjGS0fn/w640-h480/chipexpaperfolds.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from the exhibit of Charles O'Brien<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>And
that brings me to another way to have fun with philately and postal
history. We can look at ways where things went... well... wrong.<br /></p><p>If
the paper being used to print a postage stamp was folded at the time it
was run through the printer, it left an unprinted area when (and if) it is
unfolded. Stamp printing processes typically had good quality control
processes, but enough are printed that errors sometimes find their way
into the wild. Some people enjoy the hunt for things that are
different because there were errors in the production process.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSl9wbMpWdBIVmR9xUYK-6bc4EOyxfGjQC0aDWvodGj5dzjkjFvKXe6uf8GT0FZotGhC9zWkHUpysZYSxFiP4Xm117W2_txUYjK1YLYsLAh6uTtOC14fn8FQs0WF33l9Ooa9SdIYW4zLH6L1q-W1pEz68gRBQfZljCvwgB1PpumnP-jDXBjR6ZTRhLQzJ/s4000/chipexfawnforgery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSl9wbMpWdBIVmR9xUYK-6bc4EOyxfGjQC0aDWvodGj5dzjkjFvKXe6uf8GT0FZotGhC9zWkHUpysZYSxFiP4Xm117W2_txUYjK1YLYsLAh6uTtOC14fn8FQs0WF33l9Ooa9SdIYW4zLH6L1q-W1pEz68gRBQfZljCvwgB1PpumnP-jDXBjR6ZTRhLQzJ/w480-h640/chipexfawnforgery.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from John Hotchner's exhibit<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Speaking
of things that didn't quite go as intended. There are people who enjoy
tracking down forgeries of postage stamps. Sometimes, those forgeries
can be found on a cover that someone actually tried to
use a forged stamp to pay the postage. </p><p>In the case above, the attempt
was not successful and the Postmaster at the town of
mailing contacted the Postal Inspector. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhgZnXjLkCxJZMClnQ_hqMz-EOCgvHZg4hYOsJ0dO2JlWMy5nbPXoTW9jE4CfG052cYbqycLcE7t0H76DGCp_cDH0-aV4H6mTmtYXk3EMIdiFR4YbBLpRDnWKqKAInVALOAPXR2zAk6R8pvDO83xisqbHi2HdFfalSMR51dcNY85yLhxdPglG2HmC0XmX/s4000/chipexmissinghand.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhgZnXjLkCxJZMClnQ_hqMz-EOCgvHZg4hYOsJ0dO2JlWMy5nbPXoTW9jE4CfG052cYbqycLcE7t0H76DGCp_cDH0-aV4H6mTmtYXk3EMIdiFR4YbBLpRDnWKqKAInVALOAPXR2zAk6R8pvDO83xisqbHi2HdFfalSMR51dcNY85yLhxdPglG2HmC0XmX/w640-h480/chipexmissinghand.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from Hugh Sebag-Montefiore's exhibit<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p>And
sometimes, you can have fun by exploring reasons for odd things like -
why is Napoleon frequently featured with one hand tucked into his
clothing at his stomach? Apparently, it was a way to symbolize
"gentlemanly restraint" and was often associated with nobility. It wasn't
because he bit his fingernails and it left them unsightly and
distracting to look at. And it probably wasn't because he had a
perpetually upset stomach. </p><p>And, hey, have a little fun. Pick your
own absurd or not so absurd reason why it was important for Napoleon to
conceal one hand while being painted. But, I do think the idea that it
was a way to cultivate an image of nobility and power was certainly
consistent with his ambitions.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">My own sense of fun</span></b></p><p>Frankly,
I found myself enjoying just flitting around the exhibits, taking an
image of things that just popped out at me for whatever reason. And,
once my attention was grabbed by something in an exhibit, I allowed
myself the opportunity to try to appreciate what made the topic fun for
the person who was sharing their efforts with all of us. I found myself
appreciating the work of all who put together their materials to
build a display - even if the topic or approach was not something I
would want to do myself.</p><p>After all, my own sense of fun often
tends toward rate and route puzzles like this one that was posed to me
at the show by someone else.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwKZQaxcTCBzUwWED69ndbi0ZRnNCM7de_omjIZOq4D-V7nKL-U_e7fgLLGsBGfTZAuqs1e0cDuUOl2JQ7aL4nga3ahgC8Slb2Mtp7DVqsrD1MeXxdLqiCRjDjL3FkWXM_TvCx_e4yVUUMgJa2XVJNdZdCm0kjPGkZrgDYIOST9JFZBLIR_2seXj6nfdz/s3418/drewsbuffcover.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1898" data-original-width="3418" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwKZQaxcTCBzUwWED69ndbi0ZRnNCM7de_omjIZOq4D-V7nKL-U_e7fgLLGsBGfTZAuqs1e0cDuUOl2JQ7aL4nga3ahgC8Slb2Mtp7DVqsrD1MeXxdLqiCRjDjL3FkWXM_TvCx_e4yVUUMgJa2XVJNdZdCm0kjPGkZrgDYIOST9JFZBLIR_2seXj6nfdz/w640-h356/drewsbuffcover.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>This
particular item is a cover front (the back has been cut off - and maybe
some of the sides have also been reduced). But ,there are four, 5-cent
stamps and a single 1-cent stamp from the US 1861 postage series. The
color of the five cent stamps is known as "buff" and is an uncommon
color to find in this condition on a piece of postal history. And
that's probably one of the biggest reasons a philatelist would like it.</p><p>But, what about a postal historian?<br /></p><p>This is
not a typical example of a letter sent from the United States to
Switzerland in 1862. There is a lot of different stuff going on and
there was some question as to whether there was any reasonable
explanation for how it all hangs together. We even have to consider if
it doesn't hang together! And if that's the case, we have to decide if
that means it's been altered in a way that its value as a postal history
item was in question.</p><p>And here's where I make you all shake your
heads and wonder what in the world is wrong with me. How can ANYONE
possibly enjoy looking at an old, messy, piece of paper and think it
would be fun to decipher and determine as much as they possibly can
about it?<br /></p><p>Well, that's the thing about a person's sense of fun. It doesn't have to make sense. It just has to be fun for that person.</p><p>This
letter was mailed at the post office in Hallowell, Maine (located south
of Augusta), and postmarked on May 27, 1862. From there, it
traveled to Boston, which served as a foreign exchange office for mail
to France. Yes, Boston was an exchange office for other locations, but I
opted to say France because that's where this item was originally
addressed.</p><p>The address panel reads: G.D. Gelman, Esq, care of John Munroe and Co, Bankers in Paris, France.</p><p>The Boston exchange marking says: Boston, May 28, Paid 24</p><p>This corresponds with the departure of the Cunard Line ship <i>Niagara</i>
on that same day. It crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in
Queenstown (Cobh, Ireland) on June 8. The "Paid 24" indicated that 24
cents needed to be passed to France for their share of the postal
expenses.</p><p>And that's our first indication that something might be
amiss here. There's only 21 cents in postage on this cover. With the
"Paid 24" marking and a letter addressed to France, we should expect 30
cents in postage to pay for a double weight letter from the US to France
using the 15 cents per 1/4 ounce rate.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKXca2OHSvhovcUoRvcrIdR7nh_H12pjs2Q5SN3yj7Vu03NE9MIeUsefyyZmkoq3J1QI1wRfaizyazdwVl3KfO8W-6flsY9rOGVOJzMgFi_kUj82nLZd2PNcQC1KzIdbUHuZWRaI8hg05PtQrD91rf6DaaQtkcmUXWJCvt67BOBypJg2pGV_Z4L9OHduo/s1579/francebritpktHavre.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1579" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKXca2OHSvhovcUoRvcrIdR7nh_H12pjs2Q5SN3yj7Vu03NE9MIeUsefyyZmkoq3J1QI1wRfaizyazdwVl3KfO8W-6flsY9rOGVOJzMgFi_kUj82nLZd2PNcQC1KzIdbUHuZWRaI8hg05PtQrD91rf6DaaQtkcmUXWJCvt67BOBypJg2pGV_Z4L9OHduo/w640-h416/francebritpktHavre.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Shown
above is another cover with 30 cents in postage sent from New York to
France in 1866. It clearly shows a "Paid 24" credit in the New York
exchange marking. It too, was carried on a Cunard Line steamship across
the Atlantic.<br /><p></p><p>The red double circle marking is French (dated
June 10), and the red box marking that reads "P.D." tells us that the
French considered this letter paid in full. So, now we have both Boston
and the French postal clerks declaring this letter paid. That tells me
there was likely 30 cents paid... somehow... for this item. Maybe the
extra nine cents were paid in cash. Maybe there were some stamps on the
back (which is now missing). We can't know for certain.<br /></p><p>But here's where it gets really interesting!</p><p></p><p>John
Monroe and Company served as a forwarding agent for
travelers. They remailed this letter to a new address in
Interlaken, Switzerland. The two black Paris marks indicate that
it was
remailed and no additional postage was provided. Instead, there
are two "40" markings on the cover that indicate to us that 40 Swiss
centimes would be due at the point of delivery.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdNtVCGdkrwpwFrdkG93jdWwg0qF2XIdHRSoMRiaXZB0OQ-AKhKyMNmOI86uhmrGhQIvw0nc89nlq_xiglN4eqkHw29PhfHF7AozNU_VU3sP0hb-Uc4sKl_5F7PDFstK1GTWcaeTl30ilD_thY7pCOr_zUbpmeA55I8hfBXsxoYWtvz2c4GgRup4afyWR/s1614/FR62_toSwitzShortPaid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1614" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdNtVCGdkrwpwFrdkG93jdWwg0qF2XIdHRSoMRiaXZB0OQ-AKhKyMNmOI86uhmrGhQIvw0nc89nlq_xiglN4eqkHw29PhfHF7AozNU_VU3sP0hb-Uc4sKl_5F7PDFstK1GTWcaeTl30ilD_thY7pCOr_zUbpmeA55I8hfBXsxoYWtvz2c4GgRup4afyWR/w640-h438/FR62_toSwitzShortPaid.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>It
just so happens that the postage rate for a letter from France to
Switzerland in 1862 was 40 centimes
per 7.5 grams at the time. Shown above is an 1865 letter from
France to Switzerland that was short paid (and treated as unpaid). It
too, shows us the red "40" marking to indicate 40 centimes must be
collected on delivery. So that also matches up - another good sign.</p><p>So let's review for a second.</p><p></p>
<p>The US to France rate was 15 cents per 1/4 ounce which is about
7.1 grams. This letter was sent as a double weight letter from
the US to France, which means it weighed more than 7.1 grams.<br /></p><p>The
Swiss rate for an unpaid letter from France was 40 centimes per 7.5
grams. Which means this letter weighed no more than 7.5 grams.</p><p>Yes,
sometimes you can get that precise if there are enough clues. Fun for
me. Maybe it makes no sense for you. But remember, my sense of fun
only really needs to be fun for me!<br /></p>So, that leaves us with a
question. The 21 cents in postage appear to have been purposely placed
on this letter, even though it ended up being the incorrect amount. So,
we need to answer the question - why would someone so badly
miss the payment amount for a letter addressed to Paris France?
<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">One theory that seems to fit:</span></b><br />
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwKZQaxcTCBzUwWED69ndbi0ZRnNCM7de_omjIZOq4D-V7nKL-U_e7fgLLGsBGfTZAuqs1e0cDuUOl2JQ7aL4nga3ahgC8Slb2Mtp7DVqsrD1MeXxdLqiCRjDjL3FkWXM_TvCx_e4yVUUMgJa2XVJNdZdCm0kjPGkZrgDYIOST9JFZBLIR_2seXj6nfdz/s3418/drewsbuffcover.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1898" data-original-width="3418" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwKZQaxcTCBzUwWED69ndbi0ZRnNCM7de_omjIZOq4D-V7nKL-U_e7fgLLGsBGfTZAuqs1e0cDuUOl2JQ7aL4nga3ahgC8Slb2Mtp7DVqsrD1MeXxdLqiCRjDjL3FkWXM_TvCx_e4yVUUMgJa2XVJNdZdCm0kjPGkZrgDYIOST9JFZBLIR_2seXj6nfdz/w400-h223/drewsbuffcover.png" width="400" /></a></div><p> </p><p>The sender in Hallowell knew G.D. Gelman was traveling and
that the itinerary placed them in Switzerland by the time the letter got to
Europe. Knowing this, they put postage on the letter for the 21
cent per 1/4 ounce rate to Switzerland. But, they only knew to
send the letter to the forwarding agent in Paris... <br />
</p>
<p>Upon presenting this at the post office, the sender was informed
that not only was the letter overweight, they could only pay the
postage to France because the letter was ADDRESSED to France. At that time, it looks like this person paid
cash OR additional postage was placed on the reverse of this cover
(which is now missing).</p>
<p>The letter got to Paris and was recognized as paid in full, but
then had to be remailed, postage due.</p>
<p>The back of the cover probably had one or two Swiss markings and
maybe one or two French markings. I am guessing it had a Paris receiving marking for its arrival in
Paris on the 10th. I suspect it might have had a French rail transit marking from
Paris to Bale (Basel). The Swiss markings might have been a Swiss rail exchange/transit
marking and a receiving mark at the destination.</p><p>A second
theory that might fit is that the letter was intended to be sent via
British Open Mail on an American Packet (steamship), but through some
series of errors it went on the British Packet and was treated as fully
paid. In my mind, the first theory seems to fit better. <br /></p><p>Well, if you made it this far, good for you! I appreciate your willingness to tolerate my sense of fun for a little while. <br /></p><p>-----------</p><p></p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-49270368448013594202023-11-12T05:30:00.315-06:002023-11-12T05:30:00.135-06:00Let's Send a Letter to Switzerland - Postal History Sunday<p>Welcome to Postal History Sunday! </p><p>Everyone is welcome here, whether you know a lot or a little about postal history. Bring a little curiosity along for the ride, grab a favorite beverage and a snack, tuck those troubles away and put on the fuzzy slippers. This week, we're going to see what options a person in the United States had for sending mail to Switzerland from 1860 to 1867.</p><p>While those dates might seem somewhat arbitrary, I can provide a short justification. The start date is because I like studying postal history during this decade (the 1860s). The end date is derived from the point when significant changes in available rates were happening. It might be just as well to write a whole new blog entry starting in 1868 and ending in 1875 when the General Postal Union went into effect rather than try to cover all of that territory here!</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Postal treaties set the rules for mail exchange </span></b><br /></p><p>Letter mail between countries prior to the General Postal Union (1875)
relied on postal conventions that were established by treaty between
nations. Needless to say, not every pair of sovereign states had a
direct agreement that dictated how mail would be exchanged. Mail
between nations that did not have a direct agreement relied on a chain
of postal conventions that connected them. In most cases, that chain
was created by finding one intermediary that had independent agreements
with both of the states in question. </p><p>Switzerland and the United States had no postal
convention in place until 1868. This makes sense for several reasons,
but the most obvious is that there was no way mail could be carried
between the US and Switzerland without transiting a third nation. Any postal agreement between Switzerland and the United States
would require connections to other agreements just to manage the transit
through some or all of these independent states.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhjp6wLMgwYrgVB9UrcnP11g9yPq-nKtCoEY-OCmT5ynO_hQ988-NU928RNVxemAjaPfifWsdX1iXWyigaxy4l-ZBm6eRCa0yW1mNWgjNK9RIyR6RRAFjs0DH1OV5p4u_K0JVlo3D-vv2ZlsDjXduT6N-gXaU_LDAwoJKvvH8ZD9nlez-IA/s3075/switzcenteredeu.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2833" data-original-width="3075" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhjp6wLMgwYrgVB9UrcnP11g9yPq-nKtCoEY-OCmT5ynO_hQ988-NU928RNVxemAjaPfifWsdX1iXWyigaxy4l-ZBm6eRCa0yW1mNWgjNK9RIyR6RRAFjs0DH1OV5p4u_K0JVlo3D-vv2ZlsDjXduT6N-gXaU_LDAwoJKvvH8ZD9nlez-IA/w640-h590/switzcenteredeu.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>
In 1860, the United States maintained postal agreements with the French,
Prussian, Bremen and Hamburg systems. It was also possible to send
mail to the British mail services to be sent on through whatever routes
were available between the United Kingdom and Switzerland. </p><p>That's actually quite a few choices a person could make just to send a letter to one, smallish, country in the middle of Europe!</p><p>
</p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;">
<caption><b>1860 - 1867 Letter Rates - US to Switzerland</b></caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Effective Date</th>
<th>Treaty Rate</th>
<th>Unit</th>
<th>Mail System<br /></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Oct 1852 - Apr 1863<br /></td>
<td>35 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>Prussian Closed Mail<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>May 1863 - Dec 1867<br /></td>
<td>33 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>Prussian Closed Mail<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Apr 1857 - Dec 1869<br /></td>
<td>21 cents<br /></td>
<td>quarter ounce<br /></td>
<td>French Mail<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Oct 1860 - Dec 1867*<br /></td>
<td>19 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>Bremen-Hamburg<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jul 1849 - Dec 1867**<br /></td>
<td>5 or 21 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>British Open<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>May 1863 - Dec 1867<span> </span><br /></td>
<td>28 cents<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>PCM to border<br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;">
* The prior postage rate was 27 cents per half ounce (July 1857 - Sep 1860)</p><p style="text-align: center;">** This rate was advertised from Jul 1849 to Jun 1857, but still available afterward<br /></p><p></p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Prussian Closed Mail</span></b><br /><p></p><p></p><p>If you look at the table shown above, you will find Prussian Closed Mail three times on the table. For the first part of the decade, the fully prepaid amount was 35 cents. But, in May 1863, the amount was reduced to 33 cents. And, you will see a third option at the end of the table where a person could pay the postage up to Switzerland's border, but no further, for 28 cents.</p><p>We will start with a letter that illustrates the 33 cent rate to Switzerland via Prussian Closed Mail.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYGgl4CzIhSnjNSOtDlErXLa9KgRW99MqnHMStCGu9S2vxwCGaXPaVJ2FgBVNsAc1MbfSmGhrYP9MzJ9tJuYj-uFZKkY_5TBeNboGAc4l484kK8pYMIehtz_epS2k2eogtnxHc5Q8Tgm6hAGEszoGvEQPz0YrjyPCMcdNZVE1zeCe-ss_Lb16Nn4GroXJ/s1633/SwitzviaPCM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1633" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYGgl4CzIhSnjNSOtDlErXLa9KgRW99MqnHMStCGu9S2vxwCGaXPaVJ2FgBVNsAc1MbfSmGhrYP9MzJ9tJuYj-uFZKkY_5TBeNboGAc4l484kK8pYMIehtz_epS2k2eogtnxHc5Q8Tgm6hAGEszoGvEQPz0YrjyPCMcdNZVE1zeCe-ss_Lb16Nn4GroXJ/w640-h344/SwitzviaPCM.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">33-cent per 1/2 ounce rate via Prussian Closed Mail<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>The Prussian mail system provided mail services for the United States to
Switzerland starting in 1852 until December of 1867 when the Prussian
system was superseded by the North German Union mails (essentially the
Prussian mails with other German mail systems consolidated with it - a
topic all its own). The postage rate was reduced by 2 cents in May of 1863 in part as a response to the postal rate to Baden (a German State bordering Switzerland on the north) being reduced from 30 to 28 cents at the same time. <br /></p><p>Mail to the Prussian system typically traveled through Belgium after a
stop in England. Mailbags would enter the Prussian mail
officially at Aachen (Aix la Chapelle) or on the mobile post office
between Verviers and Coeln. This particular cover shows a boxed Aachen exchange marking that was applied once the letter was taken out of the mailbag. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oGWSuEvlGWLA9dkX5ugTzxHRxnagi_UWySWcxe8qNGt79aH-K-vy9EXDOfsqAFh_pAhF1jy8MEHc22uP0NA3CbHbKAUEUMDmVyU7GCS1frTP5itu6nJHIs9QAqKBID9jHC0KubG1JTi8wCTV6i2FKmH_oyieK0Mwkw753ZauDB2efrdDZurQ89c9T7Xh/s477/switzaachenmarking.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="477" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oGWSuEvlGWLA9dkX5ugTzxHRxnagi_UWySWcxe8qNGt79aH-K-vy9EXDOfsqAFh_pAhF1jy8MEHc22uP0NA3CbHbKAUEUMDmVyU7GCS1frTP5itu6nJHIs9QAqKBID9jHC0KubG1JTi8wCTV6i2FKmH_oyieK0Mwkw753ZauDB2efrdDZurQ89c9T7Xh/s320/switzaachenmarking.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aachen exchange mark<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>This letter was put in the mailbag in New York City and remained there until Aachen, even though it did transit the United Kingdom and Belgium. This is why it was referred to as "Prussian Closed Mail." Despite carriage in territory not served by the Prussian mails, the intermediary postal services did nothing to process the individual mail pieces. <br /></p><p></p><p>Both Belgium and Prussia featured highly
advanced rail systems that facilitated rapid mail dispersal. Travel to
Switzerland from Aachen required transit through Prussia and Baden or
through Prussia, Hessian states, and Wurttemburg. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGLXRwNn-yfnFwSntV1aW5WmakGaW9BT_q9UzTzwmhxHaPbJKUVVAkA5XBzxzuXcn9wBF4Cj8tqo77aVxA8NBAvF1ap1I9zs-khscH3RCvFlnnF8yIF2_lWyk6agFF-afXCCL56kq8XfOO-SBaV7gsYucE5wYBPWDUTsW4NEMUb8roMSl8KJgCSUb4pMc/s229/switzpcm12marking.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="229" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGLXRwNn-yfnFwSntV1aW5WmakGaW9BT_q9UzTzwmhxHaPbJKUVVAkA5XBzxzuXcn9wBF4Cj8tqo77aVxA8NBAvF1ap1I9zs-khscH3RCvFlnnF8yIF2_lWyk6agFF-afXCCL56kq8XfOO-SBaV7gsYucE5wYBPWDUTsW4NEMUb8roMSl8KJgCSUb4pMc/s1600/switzpcm12marking.png" width="229" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"12" - marking applied in New York City<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Like many of the postal agreements at the time that involved the United States, a significant amount of effort was made to show how the postage was to be split between postal services. A letter sent at the 33-cent rate via Prussian Closed Mail to Switzerland required that the US send 12 cents to Prussia. This marking was applied using red ink, which was a message to the clerks in Aachen that the letter was considered fully paid and that the US owed Prussia twelve cents for this letter.</p><p>Some of the postage sent to Prussia was passed on to the Swiss for their costs to deliver the letter. Another piece of that postage went to pay the Belgians and British for transit through their territories. As for the 21 cents the United States kept, five cents paid for mail on US soil and 16 cents paid for the trip across the Atlantic Ocean.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiqMwoQydu6vzYZqioDWUXfavsEtJuC5y-DQaQTTkbFeanDVaji5nlryXxX6u17yYRIVJF4x6961l4PyO8Y250jyzd7aN5MMRn2GTWBONcXX6F75Q-VroLZonI8r8Jo1kt2lfwqZd4-qPn9UCOXs9r7lv5uQkwfWEY3rCc5RnV4WXvy5DOxkeEEdM3fQw/s302/switzpcmbadbahnpost.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="302" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiqMwoQydu6vzYZqioDWUXfavsEtJuC5y-DQaQTTkbFeanDVaji5nlryXxX6u17yYRIVJF4x6961l4PyO8Y250jyzd7aN5MMRn2GTWBONcXX6F75Q-VroLZonI8r8Jo1kt2lfwqZd4-qPn9UCOXs9r7lv5uQkwfWEY3rCc5RnV4WXvy5DOxkeEEdM3fQw/s1600/switzpcmbadbahnpost.png" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baden railway marking - Z 23 is the train number<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Since I mentioned Baden earlier, this particular cover does a nice job of tying it all together. A significant number of the letters via Prussian Closed Mail to Switzerland from the US traveled through Baden. And, while Baden was part of the German Austrian Postal Union, they still maintained control of their mail system. So, they liked to process mail that went through their territory. A clerk on this particular train made sure to mark this letter to show that it had, in fact, gone through Baden on August 17 of 1866.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">A 35 cent rate example</span></b> <br /></p><p>That brings us to a second envelope that was mailed to Swtizerland via the Prussian Closed Mail. This time, I get to show you a pretty cover with a 24-cent 1861 stamp on it. The letter itself was sent from the Swiss Consulate in Philadelphia (the docket at the top right tells us this information).<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5814eTyQJCuVbIewwOpa2tzANyCNHz9cuBuN9ORoktefnswwSP3-MbD9gtNmuamsodWpFPdIcRP6TK4pIOUuRsY0_n8h4kZ8N3lxyj50RL5zdbvhqxWlfZosA-ZRvhHJDQ9n-adkIuDYx7KAO1IFBJQjFd-vH5-8bqUxWzIqI9p9GdbqnPBGI4IWhreL/s1588/SwitzerlandPCMoverpaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1588" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5814eTyQJCuVbIewwOpa2tzANyCNHz9cuBuN9ORoktefnswwSP3-MbD9gtNmuamsodWpFPdIcRP6TK4pIOUuRsY0_n8h4kZ8N3lxyj50RL5zdbvhqxWlfZosA-ZRvhHJDQ9n-adkIuDYx7KAO1IFBJQjFd-vH5-8bqUxWzIqI9p9GdbqnPBGI4IWhreL/w640-h416/SwitzerlandPCMoverpaid.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">35- cent per 1/2 rate via Prussian Closed Mail<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>This letter is particularly interesting to me because it was mailed on April 27, 1863, just days before the postal rate was going to change to 33 cents. In fact, by the time it arrived in Aachen on May 12, the rate had changed.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXtpic_BK2oU_YTLlE9B1Mf_9dlvnoQiliWlEDp80eovc9sRZ8YvLBB0iWKxggxzW-mm7IHJdnhfUsQxrOx48pZU8WkIVX-NtG_8h-2IwVYjZ-S-z7ZdBhN2Vk9js5pO0ciORefgdPdJUF78Cn6RarPu8WrpCC2G1Ie7QqzItvfIkfTBVA5Lr1twJARgJ/s609/swisseisenbahn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="609" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXtpic_BK2oU_YTLlE9B1Mf_9dlvnoQiliWlEDp80eovc9sRZ8YvLBB0iWKxggxzW-mm7IHJdnhfUsQxrOx48pZU8WkIVX-NtG_8h-2IwVYjZ-S-z7ZdBhN2Vk9js5pO0ciORefgdPdJUF78Cn6RarPu8WrpCC2G1Ie7QqzItvfIkfTBVA5Lr1twJARgJ/s320/swisseisenbahn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baden railway marking<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>On the reverse of this particular cover is a different type of railway marking for the Baden "Eisenbahn." So, once again, a letter to Switzerland from the US took the route through this particular German State.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">And one that was paid to the border only</span></b><br /></p><p>Our next item was mailed in 1866 and it only has 28 cents of postage, which means it could only be paid up to the border between the German States and Switzerland. This letter also exhibits the boxed Aachen marking and it traveled on a Baden railway before entering at Basel, Switzerland.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0jOAn9mRLYWpiarq2CnEkssKJQSmI2n2LXdk1zAtVdpi7-4pgiUwKa0P_TvT8PyU-2eElp46BN_GX3EcK1xaBaLE24s6wd-0pk-e5noQKnYuYcaBubkGLfdmzQ_PrGvcAViyu0_hbIcU/s1600/SwissGAPUonly.tif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0jOAn9mRLYWpiarq2CnEkssKJQSmI2n2LXdk1zAtVdpi7-4pgiUwKa0P_TvT8PyU-2eElp46BN_GX3EcK1xaBaLE24s6wd-0pk-e5noQKnYuYcaBubkGLfdmzQ_PrGvcAViyu0_hbIcU/w640-h360/SwissGAPUonly.tif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">28 cents paid only to the border of Switzerland</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>
The Prussian system is interesting in that it would allow mail from the
United States to be paid 'up to the outgoing border.' In other words,
the sender could opt to pay the 28 cent rate to get a mail item to
anywhere within the German-Austrian Postal Union (GAPU). Once it
reached the border, it would be sent on - essentially as an unpaid piece
of mail from the Prussian system to its destination in Switzerland. </p><p>This rate was not advertised in the postal rate tables at the time, so the clerks or patrons had to be aware of other options that were not shown in those tables. <br /></p><p>Since the letter was not fully paid to the destination, the recipient was required to pay 10 rappen (or centimes) in Swiss postage for the
privilege of receiving their mail. <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2022/07/how-you-got-there-matters-postal.html" target="_blank">This Postal History Sunday</a>
illustrates a situation where some mail was sent from Switzerland to Rome and the postage was split. So, this was certainly not unknown at the time.<br /></p><span><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">French Mail to Switzerland</span></b></span></span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlXpp1VjsK_gMLVWVpRCX7etF-ehTo7Sc6TPPDIA5VscJ0UJ8Tkg2Vd_0qijRXlHarLCw4oIf7pNSd_hOnGixsv1pkE9nwlFdrDX9-2mV16tlbZCEjUsiuYw8uZDR4ItbIAeFINAkkGI_/s1600/swiss-french.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1550" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlXpp1VjsK_gMLVWVpRCX7etF-ehTo7Sc6TPPDIA5VscJ0UJ8Tkg2Vd_0qijRXlHarLCw4oIf7pNSd_hOnGixsv1pkE9nwlFdrDX9-2mV16tlbZCEjUsiuYw8uZDR4ItbIAeFINAkkGI_/w640-h408/swiss-french.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Double the 21 cent French Mail rate from the United States to Switzerland</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p>
</p><p>The French mail system provided the United States with services to
Switzerland from April of 1857 until December of 1869 at a cost of 21
cents per quarter ounce (7.5 grams) for letter mail. Much of this
postal convention <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2019/09/postal-convention-france-united-states.html"><i>can be viewed here</i></a> if you are curious.</p><p>Mail to Switzerland via France would travel by trans-Atlantic steamship from New York, Boston,
Portland (Maine) and Quebec bound for locations in England, France and
Germany, depending on which steamship line carried the piece of mail in
question. Items bound for France would typically sail directly to
France or travel via Britain. The entry point in France was most often
Calais (or the rail line from Calais to Paris), but it could also be
locations such as Havre and Brest. If you would like more detail on how
mail got to France during this period, <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2022/10/lets-send-letter-to-france-postal.html"><i>this post will provide you</i></a> will provide you with that information.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnJUK-etwS53rp-kqEAJ64Yp3xVtGqXMko1EeGbAeUSkVMCiyv4euFfoPJilGQpxXvSnrUk-5mIWbbrqzu1Z776pn4n8RmocT4CtAgDU_32FD0RWi0kRZyVEJ3tZavik9SCDwoF3bJV24Qma-rPFoDSCBnN8t6N25t0mXWKZ-h9AHUjSoKw/s2367/frenchswissbordernew.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2367" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnJUK-etwS53rp-kqEAJ64Yp3xVtGqXMko1EeGbAeUSkVMCiyv4euFfoPJilGQpxXvSnrUk-5mIWbbrqzu1Z776pn4n8RmocT4CtAgDU_32FD0RWi0kRZyVEJ3tZavik9SCDwoF3bJV24Qma-rPFoDSCBnN8t6N25t0mXWKZ-h9AHUjSoKw/w312-h640/frenchswissbordernew.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">border region of France and Switzerland</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>
The rail systems in France were developing rapidly from the 1840s
through the 1860s and, for most of the 1860s, foreign mail was carried by
train to Switzerland
via three primary border crossings. There were other crossings that
typically handled local mail and were unlikely to carry foreign mail,
though it is technically possible. </p><p>Mail could enter Switzerland in the
north at Basel, west at Pontarlier and south at Geneva. The route was
chosen based on a combination of train schedules and location of the
destination relative to the border crossing. The hope was to send the
mail via the route that would see the quickest delivery time.</p><p>
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlXpp1VjsK_gMLVWVpRCX7etF-ehTo7Sc6TPPDIA5VscJ0UJ8Tkg2Vd_0qijRXlHarLCw4oIf7pNSd_hOnGixsv1pkE9nwlFdrDX9-2mV16tlbZCEjUsiuYw8uZDR4ItbIAeFINAkkGI_/s1600/swiss-french.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1550" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlXpp1VjsK_gMLVWVpRCX7etF-ehTo7Sc6TPPDIA5VscJ0UJ8Tkg2Vd_0qijRXlHarLCw4oIf7pNSd_hOnGixsv1pkE9nwlFdrDX9-2mV16tlbZCEjUsiuYw8uZDR4ItbIAeFINAkkGI_/w400-h255/swiss-french.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>
The envelope shown above is presumed to have gone via
Pontarlier based on some incomplete train schedule data that I have
located. It is entirely possible that this is incorrect and I hope to
be able to decipher the route more fully in the future. The 1864 year
date makes it possible that the entry was in the south at Geneva depending on the
completion dates of some of the rail lines in the Jura mountains.</p><p>The
difficulty for a postal historian who wants to figure out the route a
letter took is that letters transiting France to Switzerland from
the United States were not provided some of the same markings seen on
Swiss/French mail. As a result, we get fewer clues from the
piece of mail to isolate the route once it was in Europe. Instead, we
are left to speculate by looking at train schedules and, perhaps,
looking in a crystal ball or some tea leaves. <br /></p>And now we take a
quick diversion! Someone asked me show, once again, how I display postal history. So, below is the exhibit page I
created for the letter shown above - feel free to click on it to view a
larger image.<br /><p>
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jaF8DhZaUWHs3YbInEkBt2SGsbELE3Cllb7hs0HC77n1nYaXEo3U_4hEC3pC7sStoyrAh9y9Twx5kpAowP5RRPvQbz2MaJFS7sxN6bqWzFVG6-8XIIkLSFwSOyZ-BaAFuN6HyYIJ9rBwOAcREsGjhp460ewcsDCw923FJG9pnACvWFijoA/s1008/FrenchSwitzPage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="771" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jaF8DhZaUWHs3YbInEkBt2SGsbELE3Cllb7hs0HC77n1nYaXEo3U_4hEC3pC7sStoyrAh9y9Twx5kpAowP5RRPvQbz2MaJFS7sxN6bqWzFVG6-8XIIkLSFwSOyZ-BaAFuN6HyYIJ9rBwOAcREsGjhp460ewcsDCw923FJG9pnACvWFijoA/w490-h640/FrenchSwitzPage.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><p>This cover appears to have been sent from New York City to
La Chatelaine near Geneva, Switzerland. The portion of the address
panel that reads "<i>pres de Geneve</i>" simply indicates that this is
La Chatelaine "near" or "next to" Geneva. The larger, red circular
marking was applied in New York, dated March 9 and indicates that 36
cents of the 42 cents collected in postage is to be passed to France to
cover postal expenses not rendered by the United States postal system.
The French then passed money to the British and Swiss postal systems to cover their parts in carrying this letter.<br />
<br />
The breakdown of the postage rate is often not as simple as saying 6 US
cents go here and 12 US cents go there. What can be said entirely
accurately is that 42 US cents were collected via US postage.
Thirty-six of those US cents were passed to the French postal system.
An amount roughly equivalent to 16 US cents was sent in French centimes
(probably 80 centimes) to the English to cover the sea passage and the
transit on British rail from Liverpool and the English Channel
crossing. This left 20 US cents, which is in the neighborhood of 1
franc in French currency, to cover transit through France and the cost
of mail in Switzerland to deliver to the recipient.<br />
<br />
For the sake of argument, mail from France to Switzerland cost 40
centimes (French) per 1/4 ounce. So, this double weight letter would
have cost 80 centimes if it originated in France. This rate was split
at 50 centimes for French postage and 30 centimes for Swiss postage.
So, it is not unreasonable to speculate that 30 centimes (about 6 US
cents) was passed on to Switzerland to cover their postage costs.</p><p>Did you follow all of that?</p><p>No?<br />
<br />
Let's try this instead:<br />
</p><ul><li>The US retains 6 cents of postage.</li><li>France receives 36 cents from the US.</li><li>Britain receives 80 centimes from France.</li><li>Britain pays 6 pence to the Cunard Line for trans-Atlantic crossing.<br /></li><li>Britain retains 2 pence for internal rail service and the English channel crossing. </li><li>France passes 30 centimes to Switzerland (equal to 30 rappen) for the Swiss mail service.</li><li>France retains 70 centimes for their internal mail. </li></ul><p>Now
you're all saying - why didn't just put it this way in the first
place? The answer? I don't know, I think it's because I like to hear
myself write. <br /></p><p>All of these amounts are estimations because I am not currently willing
to work out all of the details as to actual exchange numbers between all
of the players. involved. For this excercise, I am operating under a
simple 5 French centime to 1 US cent conversion, though the actual rate
was 5.26 centimes per 1 US cent. In the end, that conversion number
matters less because the actual postage breakdown numbers are filtered
through three sets of postal treaties; the treaty between the US and
France, the treaty between France and Britain and the treaty between
France and Switzerland. In the end, it appears that the French make out
like bandits since their internal rate was 40 centimes for a letter
weighing 10 to 20 grams and they walk away with 70 centimes instead!<br />
<br />
There is still plenty that can be explored regarding this cover. If you
look, you will notice several manuscript markings. A pencil "2"
notation certainly was applied to indicate that this is a double weight
letter. I have no idea whether the "53" is a postal marking or a filing
docket placed on the envelope after it was received. </p><p>The "12" that is crossed out may well reflect some early confusion by a clerk in New York. They might have expected the item was going to go via Prussian Closed Mail, where that "12" would be an expected credit marking. But, once they realized it was for a double weight letter via France, they crossed it out.</p><p><span><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bremen or Hamburg Mail Treaty to Switzerland</span></b></span></span> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadkRaxTZZF494-sjvAuAFA42pgXeQjIXHPZjkTPWw-3N-O-02y-fE6q7VgToI6EzrjmuflmIWLzK30Zg7UP0cZu49aMHOPzwP5L2EOGffVafncH5_2x73meOz4b6I_xBpXSd6iviENGWu/s1600/ham2SwitzerlandDouble.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="1600" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadkRaxTZZF494-sjvAuAFA42pgXeQjIXHPZjkTPWw-3N-O-02y-fE6q7VgToI6EzrjmuflmIWLzK30Zg7UP0cZu49aMHOPzwP5L2EOGffVafncH5_2x73meOz4b6I_xBpXSd6iviENGWu/w640-h362/ham2SwitzerlandDouble.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">US to Switzerland via Hamburg Mails at double the 19 cent rate.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p></p><p>Bremen
and Hamburg were two Hanseatic cities that negotiated mail
treaties with the United States including mail service to
Switzerland beginning in July of 1857 at a rate of 27 cents per 1/2
ounce. The rate was reduced to 19 cents in October of 1860 and became
obsolete when these mail systems were combined with the North German
Union postal system in January of 1868. </p><p>Initially, mail packets
(steamships)
traveled between New York and Hamburg every four weeks , but that
increased to every other week (alternating with the ships that traveled
to Bremen) as we progress through the 1860s.</p><p>Once again, I share an exhibit page for those who might enjoy viewing it. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHvJT2fMThJ3R5uA6yNTGKVaBTUpQyURaheCvHCqmhf07DMQP_cZbXcBoctpNff7csoqvgVSoHwGopVhz_CktIiTObaDoxpA1_Sawie4W28nWuzt-omazzZfRQ68zJYd2VlUtxZZeIMb6Q9LBw9jg4h-vcN6E9xbxhIwEfa4oOp3K7yHqQQ/s1004/SwitzHambMail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="771" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHvJT2fMThJ3R5uA6yNTGKVaBTUpQyURaheCvHCqmhf07DMQP_cZbXcBoctpNff7csoqvgVSoHwGopVhz_CktIiTObaDoxpA1_Sawie4W28nWuzt-omazzZfRQ68zJYd2VlUtxZZeIMb6Q9LBw9jg4h-vcN6E9xbxhIwEfa4oOp3K7yHqQQ/w492-h640/SwitzHambMail.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><p>
<br />Mail from Hamburg and Bremen typically traveled through Frankfort
(Hessian territory) and would go through Baden to western Switzerland and Wurttemburg to eastern
Switzerland.</p><p>
The different numerical markings help us figure out how the postage was
shared between mail systems. First, the blue "8" is in the German
silbergroschen currency, which
would translate to 19 US cents approximately. It appears that the
blue "8" was applied in Frankfort A Main, which would imply entry into
the <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2021/10/thurn-taxis-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">Thurn and Taxis posts</a>. </p><p>Thurn and Taxis would have
kept 6 silbergroschen for their transit of mail to Switzerland and 2
silbergroschen would have been passed to Switzerland for their surface
mails (about 5 cents). The red marking next to the "8" is "2
fr"* which represented the amount passed to Switzerland.<br />
<br />
<i>* this is a weiterfranco marking, weiterfranco is a German postal
term that indicates an amount of postage passed forward to the next
postal service.</i><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><b>British Open Mail to Switzerland</b></span></span></span> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnjoJw9VyizcSIu2LldtgDVZf6g0eCU5pyhDWSp2z7fqwI81lrnFQ3v5XQyL2a36ZRw5x2e4xs-iiyKfUOtZCXJPkv1WGRjqI3UScwZx6e6QYGJJRiIPUyPdpFq314ungwroSsNZuQ7Ik/s1600/swissopenfront.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1600" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnjoJw9VyizcSIu2LldtgDVZf6g0eCU5pyhDWSp2z7fqwI81lrnFQ3v5XQyL2a36ZRw5x2e4xs-iiyKfUOtZCXJPkv1WGRjqI3UScwZx6e6QYGJJRiIPUyPdpFq314ungwroSsNZuQ7Ik/w640-h362/swissopenfront.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">An alert clerk prevented loss of the entire 24 cents postage paid by using British Open Mail</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p></p><p>There was no option to send a letter via the British Mail to Switzerland as a fully paid letter. Instead, the only option was to split payment between the person sending the letter and the person receiving the letter.<br /></p><p>In the case of British Open Mail, the US postal patron had to pay the US portion of the postage and the recipient would pay for all postage costs from the point the letter entered the British mail to the point it got to its destination. It is interesting to note that this rate was advertised in rate tables as an option until the middle of 1857. After that, it was not advertised, even though the postal treaty between the US and the UK provided the option for destinations like Switzerland <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/11/dutch-treat-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">and the Netherlands</a>.<br /></p><p>The
open mails were especially valuable for mail that was overweight but
not paid as such. The sender of this appears to have intended to pay the 21
cent
French rate to Switzerland. However, the item must have weighed more
than 7.5 grams (1/4 ounce), which would require 42 cents in postage. </p><p>The postmaster realized that at least some of the postage applied to the
envelope could be useful by paying the US portion of the trip to
England. So, the item was sent via the British Open Mail at 21 cents per
half ounce, since an American contract ship took this mail across the
Atlantic).
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was up to the Swiss postal service to collect sufficient postage to
cover the costs that were now to be split between the British, French
and Swiss postal systems. To simplify the accounting of the time,
debits and credits were often (but not always) dealt with in bulk rather
than a letter by letter basis. For example, the British and French
agreed on 40 centimes for every 30 grams of bulk mail. The
justification for this is partially based on an assumption that 30 grams
would represent three to four pieces of letter mail on average. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rather
than having an exact count of mail pieces and the rates paid, the
entire mailbag could be weighed out to figure what was owed for the
British (and later French) transit. This is, of course, an efficient
way of doing business as long as the actual averages held true to the
estimates. But, from a postal historian's perspective it makes it
difficult to make the postage breakdown nice and neat. I am sure this
postal historian can get over that small issue - eventually.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Why Choose One Option Over Another?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
With five different options for sending mail from the US to Switzerland, how was a person to choose?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul><li>French Mail: 21 cents per 1/4 ounce</li><li>British Open Mail: 5 cents per 1/2 ounce OR 21 cents per 1/2 ounce with remainder to be collected from recipient in Switzerland.</li><li>Prussian Closed Mail: 33 cents per 1/2 ounce (35 cts prior to May 1863)</li><li>Prussian Closed Mail to border: 28 cents per 1/2 ounce with remainder to be collected from recipient.</li><li>Bremen or Hamburg Mail: 19 cents per 1/2 ounce.</li></ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Clearly, if cost were the only consideration a person might prefer
Hamburg Mail, French Mail or British Open Mail. But, the French Mail
rapidly loses its luster if the mail item exceeds 7.5 grams (now it
would cost 42 cents).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hamburg Mail looks good at 19 cents per 1/2 ounce. But, what happens if
you missed the most recent sailing of the ship for Hamburg? You would
have to wait one more week for the next departure to Bremen (or two to
Hamburg). Are you really willing to add another seven days to the
typical 12 day transit period? That means you would have to wait nearly
a month for a reply. The other mail systems benefited from being able
to receive mail from multiple sailings each week.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
British Open Mail and Prussian Mail to the border both require that the
recipient pay part of the postage. This may not be the best policy if
you actually want the recipient to accept what you have sent to them.
After all, they were not required to accept and pay for a letter that had postage due. On
the other hand, there are multiple instances where it is clear that two
businesses intended to split postal expenses in this fashion, so
perhaps it was a reasonable option for some.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The last option to consider is the fully paid rate via the Prussian
Closed Mails. If the letter item was between 1/4 and 1/2 ounce, this
option is clearly better than French Mail (42 cents). If you were also
concerned that the recipient accept the mail and not have to pay to
receive that mail AND you found yourself in a position where you didn't
want to wait a week for the next Bremen or Hamburg sailing, then
Prussian Closed Mail is your choice.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As might be expected, my observations have shown more mail addressed to
Switzerland from the United States using French mail or Bremen/Hamburg
mails than the other options. Apparently, the choice was most often made by selecting the least expensive option</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p>-----------</p><p></p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.</p> </div>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-25594493787368347872023-11-05T05:30:00.002-06:002023-11-05T10:49:55.020-06:00Dutch Treat - Postal History Sunday<p>Another Sunday, another Postal History Sunday entry! This time around, I am dispensing with all of the introduction stuff I seem to like to put up here and get right to it. I hope that's okay with all of you?</p><p>Well, even if if it's not, I'm the one writing it - so that's what's happening today!<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Today's question: Why do I like this cover?</span></b></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhrpaGjjB1hu59NIOkeiCmTlDIHTQnwQ701kntsV-XxNbdHAVqnq-EqupfF6iqVxWgrphiwdLhCqeQRzTgRJzyR45J4BbtvYG54Oy0dmbsaAy_RPdrm0RemzNebNXNEzaPQWmRWF-uL5dW3_3Q7Dtl8ldD8ZqDJ4TATAwYobv7GlpzxwkVah73Un-uNiS/s1652/Netherlands.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1652" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhrpaGjjB1hu59NIOkeiCmTlDIHTQnwQ701kntsV-XxNbdHAVqnq-EqupfF6iqVxWgrphiwdLhCqeQRzTgRJzyR45J4BbtvYG54Oy0dmbsaAy_RPdrm0RemzNebNXNEzaPQWmRWF-uL5dW3_3Q7Dtl8ldD8ZqDJ4TATAwYobv7GlpzxwkVah73Un-uNiS/w640-h358/Netherlands.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /></p><p>A few people sent a comment that they really enjoyed learning why I found a cover with the word "<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/10/humbug-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">Humbug</a>" written on it to be fascinating. This was especially true for people who were less familiar with postal history. This makes perfect sense to me. It's the process of exploration and discovery that is often compelling. And, if that's the case, it becomes easier to write with some enthusiasm and bring you all along for the ride - even if you aren't sure why a person wants to collect and study old pieces of paper!</p><p>So, I asked myself the question (on your behalf) - why I am I so interested in this envelope that was mailed from New York, December 1866, to the Netherlands in January, 1867?</p><p>The short answer is this - this envelope can be likened the scavenger hunt item on the list that is unlikely to be found. The 27-cent per 1/2 ounce prepaid postage rate using British Mail was only in effect from July of 1866 to December of 1867 - a fairly short period of time. But, there is more to it than that.</p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Choices choices</span></b></p><p>One of the things that makes international mail prior to the General Postal Union so interesting to me is the different postal rates available to send mail between two locations. Just because you could mail a letter from the United States to Holland for 27 cents per 1/2 ounce doesn't mean that this was the only option. A person mailing a letter actually had some choices to make, and those choices could change how much it cost and who paid for those costs.</p><p>To simplify things, let's focus on how a person would send a simple letter from the US to Holland in the 1860s. I shaded the background for the rate that applies to our first cover to make it easy to see where it belongs.<br /></p><table border="1" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"><td colspan="7" style="border: medium; padding: 0.75pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Advertised Letter Mailing Options - US to the Netherlands, 1860s</span></i></b></p></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"><td style="padding: 0.75pt;"><br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>British</i></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>Open </i></b></span><br /></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt; text-align: center;">
<p><b><i>French<br />Mail</i></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background-color: #b6d7a8; text-align: center;"><b><i>British<br />Mail</i></b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b><i>US<br />direct</i></b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Bremen<br />Hamburg</i></b></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Dutch<br />Mail</i></b></td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1860</span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">yes</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><i>yes</i></span><br /></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">July 1866</span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><i>-</i></span><br /></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><i>yes</i></span></p>
</td>
<td style="background-color: #b6d7a8; text-align: center;"><i>yes</i></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">October 1866</span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><i>yes</i></span></p>
</td>
<td style="background-color: #b6d7a8; text-align: center;"><i>yes</i></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><i>yes</i></span><br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">February 1867</span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><i>yes</i></span></p></td>
<td style="background-color: #b6d7a8; text-align: center;"><i>yes</i></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><i>yes</i></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><i>yes</i></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>January 1868<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">-<br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><i>yes</i></span> <br /></td>
</tr></tbody></table>
<p style="text-align: left;">When the decade opens, there were only two choices for the exchange of mail between the US Post Office and the Dutch postal system. One used the British mail as an intermediary and the other went through the French mail. There was no direct agreement between the US and the Netherlands at that time. </p><p style="text-align: left;">The British mail option is often referred to by postal historians as the "open mails." If a person selected this choice, they could not prepay all of the postage. The recipient would be responsible for everything except the US costs. The French mail, on the other hand, would allow the sender to prepay all of the costs OR they could send the letter unpaid if they wished. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">A likely choice: French Mails</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzgK09A0LHM-m0efh6Bu30OTa3PJj_n_FmzRHEP5Ggrqd99V8hu5AeyhM5cL6BeSsvq_N8p3-sAnEd5OP9eZCjRPRX429v19IYOjwLnPDpqUL-95bEIzGF-n_7wFQ-1y20huk9eEPbjf8tZGO32N6sABsK4-m2jbSzjSuOKDAdTQXWGeYB4l6bkHrnU1H/s1606/openmailtoneth21cents.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1606" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzgK09A0LHM-m0efh6Bu30OTa3PJj_n_FmzRHEP5Ggrqd99V8hu5AeyhM5cL6BeSsvq_N8p3-sAnEd5OP9eZCjRPRX429v19IYOjwLnPDpqUL-95bEIzGF-n_7wFQ-1y20huk9eEPbjf8tZGO32N6sABsK4-m2jbSzjSuOKDAdTQXWGeYB4l6bkHrnU1H/w640-h402/openmailtoneth21cents.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>So, if a person were to go searching for old letters written in the 1860s that were sent from the US to the Netherlands, it stands to reason that the French Mail rate of 21 cents per quarter ounce would be one of the most likely to be found in this scavenger hunt. The rate was actually in effect starting in April of 1857 and it was in force until December of 1867. So, it was available through 80% of the 1860s.</p><p>But, being available is only part of the battle. A service can be available, but people might not select it if it is inconvenient or if it is perceived to be too expensive. </p><p>Well, for six and a half years (1860 to mid 1866) the only other option was to send letters via the British Open Mail, which did not provide the option to prepay all of the postage. The costs were fairly competitive as well. There were circumstances where each was a better deal, if a person wanted to do a little shopping. Typically, French mail was a better deal for very light (7.5 grams or less) correspondence.</p><p>In both cases, letters had multiple opportunities to get on a ship and cross the Atlantic each week, so there wasn't much of a time incentive to use one option over the other.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzlifWiSEbJguoze2VTYM_RIoQmDjifOQtoV7Zf6fWvncsKmPNUalzS8HovkwTrivEcKsOgVI-pKkQ8mXVN06f-ab7pMuawFemURBvWb5TFfhdYJdSlyOqrNTFabZelcln00bQhlmUG0XWnqtbKWno2qbco2uDz68Wy6QNhg-31Y1XgoQtGEEzLHYbApu/s3139/openmailtoneth21centsfront.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3139" data-original-width="2459" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzlifWiSEbJguoze2VTYM_RIoQmDjifOQtoV7Zf6fWvncsKmPNUalzS8HovkwTrivEcKsOgVI-pKkQ8mXVN06f-ab7pMuawFemURBvWb5TFfhdYJdSlyOqrNTFabZelcln00bQhlmUG0XWnqtbKWno2qbco2uDz68Wy6QNhg-31Y1XgoQtGEEzLHYbApu/w314-h400/openmailtoneth21centsfront.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">What this folded letter looks like unfolded</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p>This folded business letter, written in Dutch, is an excellent example of a simple letter sent through the French Mails. The dateline on the letter itself tells us it was written January 24, 1863 in New York. The earliest dated postmark on the cover is the red New York exchange marking dated January 28. This does not mean the letter-writer waited until the 28th to get to the post office, instead this was the date of the intended departure of the ship that would carry it across the ocean.</p><p>It was a standard practice for the New York Foreign Mail Office to place an exchange marking that featured the scheduled departure date of the trans-Atlantic ship intended to carry the letter. The 28th was a Wednesday in 1863, which was the day of the week Cunard Line ships let New York City for Queenstown, Ireland. And, sure enough, the ship named <i>China</i> was to depart on that date - and if you look at the front of the cover you will see the words "<i>per China</i>." </p><p>Like many letter writers of that day, this person was aware of the scheduled mail sailings that went "across the pond" (Atlantic Ocean). So, while they wrote this letter on Saturday, the 24th, they knew they would not get it to the post office in time for the Saturday ship departures. We can't know which day of the week they actually took this letter to the post office for certain, but it was some time after Saturday mails closed and before mails closed for the Wednesday ship departure.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHrTdPQKV6PFs8t8MlwJBqRkbBnWP_NfvfekJMCRSLPvZabc1d0z9Vc1Rm4PyJVCu_jF4H4jPjZWHyHUx5OotExIaEEyC6KT_UYiZmtMgaDWEC47QUAzsThAyJOhOgdbDtsXFvixtu9Kz4z3xLfcOnmN7tJbot6ClxEOG54tYl-JtIc7KEdxg4UWqBa9C/s1615/openmailtoneth21centsback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="1615" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHrTdPQKV6PFs8t8MlwJBqRkbBnWP_NfvfekJMCRSLPvZabc1d0z9Vc1Rm4PyJVCu_jF4H4jPjZWHyHUx5OotExIaEEyC6KT_UYiZmtMgaDWEC47QUAzsThAyJOhOgdbDtsXFvixtu9Kz4z3xLfcOnmN7tJbot6ClxEOG54tYl-JtIc7KEdxg4UWqBa9C/w400-h248/openmailtoneth21centsback.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This letter is a good example because it is clean, all the postmarks and dates can be read, and it illustrates for us beautifully what a letter from the US to Holland via France looked like when everything went as it should. It even has some content I can work to interpret some day!<p></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Another worthy choice: British Open Mail </span></b><br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LkZIn1AI2xIsTytnoGNfCgc7IN4Qo74tW3KBdsoOdde8Z9GDthlp1JlfURfgEvIR8Ei6uDuhIMgHSDUExaPcniI0j4fysIAL5sJUfJLHjhRGTBCLlTyS6chxiwmAgm2TY4NKPkolq9JHRLkP6mPh-P5wOlB5B_XxPOcBO4NUZedZw1AHRxqbomkYsYcF/s1643/OpenMailtoHolland.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1643" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LkZIn1AI2xIsTytnoGNfCgc7IN4Qo74tW3KBdsoOdde8Z9GDthlp1JlfURfgEvIR8Ei6uDuhIMgHSDUExaPcniI0j4fysIAL5sJUfJLHjhRGTBCLlTyS6chxiwmAgm2TY4NKPkolq9JHRLkP6mPh-P5wOlB5B_XxPOcBO4NUZedZw1AHRxqbomkYsYcF/w640-h414/OpenMailtoHolland.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>British open mail is a topic that is worthy of its own Postal History Sunday, so I will gloss over some details with our second item because it will probably be featured when I complete an entry on that topic.</p><p>This folded letter was posted in Baltimore on May 31, 1867. A five cent stamp was placed on the envelope to pay only the United States portion of the postage required to get it to Rotterdam, Holland. As soon as this cover left the control of the United States' mail, it was unpaid from that point forward. That means the Netherlands treated it as if it was an unpaid letter from... the United Kingdom. So, they collected 55 Dutch cents from the recipient (the big dark ink scrawl is a "55" for those who want to know!).</p><p>The five cent postage stamp essentially paid to get this letter from
Baltimore, to New York City and then Boston. Once it boarded the ship
named <i>Africa</i>, all postage costs from that point were the responsibility of the recipient. This letter left the control of the United States Post Office as soon as it boarded the Cunard Line ship on June 5 in Boston. </p><p>What we need to remember at this point is that some trans-Atlantic shipping lines had contracts with the US and some had contracts with the British. If this were carried on a ship that had a contract with the United States, the sender would have been required to pay 21 cents, because the sea voyage cost 16 cents for a letter weighing no more than a half ounce. </p><p>Once again, letter writers could use knowledge of ship sailing dates to save themselves (or their recipient) some money. In this case, the sender's choices resulted in the recipient paying for the sea voyage.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcBBSVAshZ4krFX2BZnkfmAk2bE5UtcTu59_GQk29ArNnNIIuKLieIBguHEvGfcwQIeCBAB98U9yqD9PKE8qUaSjv9idzeGicWdlbQ1iiRd-GKGVIjKysg1jOTqTFvL0QaCpVLboyiK9-yUXb3VezFzjpM-_5y5m5GuFDdIHa23iOjzo9KGSNvxY-yXIJ/s1624/OpenMailtoHollandback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1624" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcBBSVAshZ4krFX2BZnkfmAk2bE5UtcTu59_GQk29ArNnNIIuKLieIBguHEvGfcwQIeCBAB98U9yqD9PKE8qUaSjv9idzeGicWdlbQ1iiRd-GKGVIjKysg1jOTqTFvL0QaCpVLboyiK9-yUXb3VezFzjpM-_5y5m5GuFDdIHa23iOjzo9KGSNvxY-yXIJ/w400-h248/OpenMailtoHollandback.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: left;">At this point, I am wondering if some of you have noticed a discrepancy within this article? Did you notice the dates I provided in the opening table for British Open Mail? According to what I wrote there, this option was not available for mail to the Netherlands in 1867.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I guess you can't believe everything you read - nor could people in 1867, apparently! Even though this option was not listed in the effective rate tables of the time, this cover clearly was treated just as mail via the British open mail was treated PRIOR to the July 1866 rate announcement. The Post Office's intention was that the 27 cent rate was to replace the previous British open mail arrangement. But, not everyone followed that logic and it seems when someone used the "old approach" everyone else just followed along with the old procedures and treated it as if nothing was wrong.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">The treasure in the scavenger hunt</span></b><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhrpaGjjB1hu59NIOkeiCmTlDIHTQnwQ701kntsV-XxNbdHAVqnq-EqupfF6iqVxWgrphiwdLhCqeQRzTgRJzyR45J4BbtvYG54Oy0dmbsaAy_RPdrm0RemzNebNXNEzaPQWmRWF-uL5dW3_3Q7Dtl8ldD8ZqDJ4TATAwYobv7GlpzxwkVah73Un-uNiS/s1652/Netherlands.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1652" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhrpaGjjB1hu59NIOkeiCmTlDIHTQnwQ701kntsV-XxNbdHAVqnq-EqupfF6iqVxWgrphiwdLhCqeQRzTgRJzyR45J4BbtvYG54Oy0dmbsaAy_RPdrm0RemzNebNXNEzaPQWmRWF-uL5dW3_3Q7Dtl8ldD8ZqDJ4TATAwYobv7GlpzxwkVah73Un-uNiS/w640-h358/Netherlands.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>This brings us back to our original question - why am I so interested in this particular cover? </p><p>Well, of course, there is a 24 cent stamp from the 1861 series on this envelope, so that plays into it. That postage stamp and the 3 cent denomination fully pay the 27 cents required for a prepaid simple letter from the US to the Netherlands using the British mail rate effective from July 1866, to December of 1867, a total of eighteen months.</p><p>A short effective period for a postal rate is certainly going to make an item harder to find. I don't think anyone reading Postal History Sunday is going to argue with me that it would be harder to find something mailed during the effective 18 months for this postal rate versus eight years (if we only include the 1860s) for the French 21-cent mail rate.</p><p>But, we need to remember the other important factor here. Were the competing mail options more attractive than this one?</p><p>The short answer is this - it depends on how you look at it. And, I also need to remind you that my British Open Mail example was from May 1867. So apparently, a person could ALSO send a letter via that option instead of paying this postage rate during its active period. There was more competition than it might initially have seemed.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRavu7pzPouFlu7iRdjgPO3q2xtmMYnWWiVluX-W6VEA9b2RPsYz_FZKI5yfI-wo3RSZ_jeTFxNx_T_3VOxOUs8jFDHZZjOF4TPRHdK1u7xK3L_WrU4aQFgPv2GqIrEJbqjBbt1IZ1Mp4PN2fCCPodjvc8k9i7WW15ZjNHUyDEblfuOIAWxGC-GXSnI73S/s1512/gliedmannetherlands.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1512" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRavu7pzPouFlu7iRdjgPO3q2xtmMYnWWiVluX-W6VEA9b2RPsYz_FZKI5yfI-wo3RSZ_jeTFxNx_T_3VOxOUs8jFDHZZjOF4TPRHdK1u7xK3L_WrU4aQFgPv2GqIrEJbqjBbt1IZ1Mp4PN2fCCPodjvc8k9i7WW15ZjNHUyDEblfuOIAWxGC-GXSnI73S/w640-h360/gliedmannetherlands.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy of Chip Gliedman<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>So, how uncommon was it for a person to select this choice over the other options they had at their disposal? To my knowledge, there are no surviving or accessible post office records that will tell us how much a particular mail rate option might have been taken. </p><p>But we can piece some things together. For example, we can work backward and search for and study covers from that time period from the US to the Netherlands. At this point, I can tell you that I have only located two examples of this postal rate being prepaid. The other is shown above and was once in the collection of Chip Gliedman.</p><p>I tell you folks, this is the scavenger hunt item that encourages even a typically stoic individual to raise their voice above a murmur!</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Stiff competition</span></b></p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;">
<caption><b>Letter Rates - US to Netherlands</b></caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Effective Date</th>
<th>Treaty Rate</th>
<th>Unit</th>
<th>Mail System<br /></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Apr 1857 - Dec 1867<br /></td>
<td>21 cents<br /></td>
<td>quarter ounce<br /></td>
<td>French Mail<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jul 1849 - Jun 1866 *<br /></td>
<td>5 cents / 21 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>British Open<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jul 1866 - Dec 1867<br /></td>
<td>27 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>British Mail<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Oct 1866 - Dec 1867<br /></td>
<td>17 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>US direct<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Feb 1867 - Dec 1867<br /></td>
<td>18 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>Bremen-Hamburg</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jan 1868 - Jan 1870<br /></td>
<td>15 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>Dutch Mail<br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;">
* British Open Mail was apparently available after June 1866, likely until Dec 1867.<br /></p><p>First, we should probably consider that mail volume between the US and the Netherlands was fairly light in contrast to other European nations. There are records in the Reports of the Postmaster General that can help confirm this. Also, there was a reason there were mail conventions with the British, French, and Germans, and not the Dutch (until 1868). The demand to act quickly on an agreement just wasn't there. </p><p>Already, I think you will agree with me that finding mail to the Netherlands will be more difficult simply for that reason.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSblIlBbCptu5vlRoL9B6_UrutyQrpe4VT94mrhCc5uSAA58k0bDRb2NGY_ldhvYP_G_KiDyYIXtdB_b4EBVL1p_8YTrNFNrGUMz-nenuO7S1dNKrSMZ5jfaLcrFm2mztOb8GEjhs5mYrDdFgspZJLtUR4eY-ZuCgsmX88VPwFNIxTSIap1bCD0rsHfKa/s3647/nethjuly1866announcement.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2183" data-original-width="3647" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSblIlBbCptu5vlRoL9B6_UrutyQrpe4VT94mrhCc5uSAA58k0bDRb2NGY_ldhvYP_G_KiDyYIXtdB_b4EBVL1p_8YTrNFNrGUMz-nenuO7S1dNKrSMZ5jfaLcrFm2mztOb8GEjhs5mYrDdFgspZJLtUR4eY-ZuCgsmX88VPwFNIxTSIap1bCD0rsHfKa/w640-h384/nethjuly1866announcement.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">announcement in the July 1866 US Mail and Post Office Assistant<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Now we need to consider that there were years where there were only two available options (French and British Open mail) to the relatively small number of people who wanted to send an overseas letter to Holland. Postal patrons and postmasters were all used to using those two options and it was going to take some time to get them to remember and use this new 27 cent rate.</p><p>Then, we need to consider whether the 27 cent per half ounce rate provided a marked improvement over these existing rates. If you compare cost to the mailer, it was only better than French mail for a heavier item. And, if you preferred to make the recipient pay more of the postage, British Open Mail could be used to do that. So, there wasn't exactly a financial reason to select this option in most cases.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUP1uHAcLG6Pj8aBwVtkRX-X0XR4xMort5pXLLW7HuXLOsxyenyJzb6s1nOz3vArQCUvPMQX7kvt8gsw5RgBh73Eiy548Y_NVDcJ6FOfiWvL8jEBLFvPApVLbhZlBWXOXSBROHk8NpiDzz0v_JGSilJU4Pj3mojdO9u_Mv1VnA5ZH6iaKGz2cwWW2YtwA/s5022/nethviabelgiumannouncement.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5022" data-original-width="2382" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUP1uHAcLG6Pj8aBwVtkRX-X0XR4xMort5pXLLW7HuXLOsxyenyJzb6s1nOz3vArQCUvPMQX7kvt8gsw5RgBh73Eiy548Y_NVDcJ6FOfiWvL8jEBLFvPApVLbhZlBWXOXSBROHk8NpiDzz0v_JGSilJU4Pj3mojdO9u_Mv1VnA5ZH6iaKGz2cwWW2YtwA/w190-h400/nethviabelgiumannouncement.png" width="190" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct 1866 announcement, click to enlarge<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Then, only three months after this rate was introduced, a new, cheaper rate, of 17 cents per half ounce was added for mail that was carried on US contract steamships that sailed directly to Antwerp, Belgium. While this WAS cheaper, it relied on steamship lines that could not maintain the service. In fact, it is probably true that finding a cover using this rate is even harder than a prepaid 27 cent rate. However, this rate's mere existence might have been enough to raise the question regarding the cost of the British 27 cent rate.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDRQCfEN8lTOaqW_Nba0W8F5v6AuwbBxeSRlhV169VC70nmfOl3onJ8SkHbOjwJdPpmd1EAapPYoaq4ipFZremUwpNzRDxEq1GqUo1ISUHePmEx7lszsc_GUFT59pFm4Fq4SuPcYl2VOR8wReB0DowR1bRKODeXc3BgoOP4aboJQfgP3f5vCSaa86E4RB/s6240/IMG_9486.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDRQCfEN8lTOaqW_Nba0W8F5v6AuwbBxeSRlhV169VC70nmfOl3onJ8SkHbOjwJdPpmd1EAapPYoaq4ipFZremUwpNzRDxEq1GqUo1ISUHePmEx7lszsc_GUFT59pFm4Fq4SuPcYl2VOR8wReB0DowR1bRKODeXc3BgoOP4aboJQfgP3f5vCSaa86E4RB/s320/IMG_9486.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feb 1867 announcement, click to enlarge<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Not long after that, Bremen and Hamburg mails added an 18 cent rate per half ounce. With a longer history of reliable mail service and established trans-Atlantic sailings to both German ports, the argument of reliability was removed for a service that was less expensive. Certainly, those who studied mail ship sailing dates could find reasons to pay a little more to shave some time off of the transit for an urgent piece of mail. But, I am guessing that was a fraction of the customers looking to use the postal services to Holland.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And, one more consideration...</span></p><p>Other than the initial British Open Mail rate, all of the other rates allowed the sender to either prepay the postage or send the letter unpaid and allow the recipient to pay full postage. This actually means it might be even more difficult to find a cover that shows the 27 cent rate prepaid than I've already argued. Why? Because it seems to me that sending mail unpaid to the Netherlands was used more frequently than it was for other western European destinations.<br /></p><p>As it stands, there probably aren't many examples of this postal rate being used for unpaid mail either. Dick Winter, a recognized expert in trans-Atlantic mail, states in his Understanding Trans-Atlantic Mail, Vol II, that he has seen less than a handful of covers sent under the 27 cent rate unpaid and he was apparently unaware of any prepaid examples since he illustrated none in his excellent book.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">More reason to like it</span></b></p><p>The rest of the story is tied to my long-standing search for interesting postal history items that bear the 24-cent stamp from the 1861 US postage series. This postage stamp can be found on hundreds of covers to the United Kingdom. It's not terribly difficult to find things sent to the German States, France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium. I've been aware of letters to Sweden, Norway, Greece, Turkey and other European nations for quite some time.</p><p>But, it has taken a long time to find something to the Netherlands.</p><p>This makes sense if you consider the postage rates to pay for a simple letter to Holland were all less than 24 cents until this 27 cent rate came along.</p><p>In the end, I like it because I can claim success after a very long search. Maybe that's the best reason of all. Have a great remainder of your day and a fine week to come.<br /></p><p>-----------</p><p></p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-71891772483364361762023-11-01T09:05:00.283-05:002023-11-07T18:34:22.590-06:00US to Netherlands 1866 - Cover A Day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhrpaGjjB1hu59NIOkeiCmTlDIHTQnwQ701kntsV-XxNbdHAVqnq-EqupfF6iqVxWgrphiwdLhCqeQRzTgRJzyR45J4BbtvYG54Oy0dmbsaAy_RPdrm0RemzNebNXNEzaPQWmRWF-uL5dW3_3Q7Dtl8ldD8ZqDJ4TATAwYobv7GlpzxwkVah73Un-uNiS/s1652/Netherlands.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1652" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhrpaGjjB1hu59NIOkeiCmTlDIHTQnwQ701kntsV-XxNbdHAVqnq-EqupfF6iqVxWgrphiwdLhCqeQRzTgRJzyR45J4BbtvYG54Oy0dmbsaAy_RPdrm0RemzNebNXNEzaPQWmRWF-uL5dW3_3Q7Dtl8ldD8ZqDJ4TATAwYobv7GlpzxwkVah73Un-uNiS/w640-h358/Netherlands.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><b><span style="font-size: large;">1866 envelope US to the Netherlands<br /></span></b><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> no contents </span> </p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Effective rate: 27 cents per ½ ounce : Jul 1866 - Dec 1867 </span></b></p><p><b>Mailed from</b>: New York City, United States </p><p><span> </span>probably Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn (based on docket on back)<br /></p><p><b>Destination</b>: Oostrum (Eastrum), the Netherlands </p><p><span> </span>Oostrum "by" Dokkum in Vreesland (Friesland), Kingdom of the Netherlands<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Route:</span></b></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>New York City (foreign mail exchange office)</li><li>NY & Havre Line - Arago depart Dec 22, 1866</li><li>Falmouth, UK January 3, 1867</li><li>London January 5</li><li>Dover</li><li>Ostende, Belgium</li><li>Moerdijk, Netherlands</li><li>Oostrum</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTc2b6Vxwihkv3KxdjzwwIprlY-7Pq9-Eqd2jdn8qnpuJOC8u9jeaBq2lt5SL7AIR-Win8QZud20F99of_y3LiSR8_u_uUP4VVURzPlbCnoWcXfR27fEw-41XiaeMYAslZJHwvV5wpzMS90MZZ_LuBI4WVB6J8-1jya3AtyXYwA0S_-5WDahnd4lFRm9Sg/s748/nethvialiverpool.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="748" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTc2b6Vxwihkv3KxdjzwwIprlY-7Pq9-Eqd2jdn8qnpuJOC8u9jeaBq2lt5SL7AIR-Win8QZud20F99of_y3LiSR8_u_uUP4VVURzPlbCnoWcXfR27fEw-41XiaeMYAslZJHwvV5wpzMS90MZZ_LuBI4WVB6J8-1jya3AtyXYwA0S_-5WDahnd4lFRm9Sg/s320/nethvialiverpool.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: small;">The "via Liverpool" docket was apparently ignored, taking the earliest available ship instead. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">****</span>I am not certain what the "DE" after "via Liverpool" is referring to. Any help would be appreciated. <span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">****</span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcv4TD5ITUXRNsulmKTVmzerbfR3xEmOERkQ0SbM_8QeIH6Y9EH44FvpGJa3PSMCAc59bgum2UcXmOc4MrInjyuk4v5UEU0lDrk6oYnVJx4Yc-AjJybVxytjZO-3neRm3l6eM3lbhS1kEyxZvCkHzBb3SwjLd7CtGj4x34MNiHbc-U8cawn0I6_IAfy4y/s342/nethnyexchange.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="342" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcv4TD5ITUXRNsulmKTVmzerbfR3xEmOERkQ0SbM_8QeIH6Y9EH44FvpGJa3PSMCAc59bgum2UcXmOc4MrInjyuk4v5UEU0lDrk6oYnVJx4Yc-AjJybVxytjZO-3neRm3l6eM3lbhS1kEyxZvCkHzBb3SwjLd7CtGj4x34MNiHbc-U8cawn0I6_IAfy4y/s320/nethnyexchange.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">N.York Am Pkt Dec 22(?) Paid<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">The New York exchange marking is difficult to decipher. Using a combination of the London arrival date and available American packet sailings, the New York and Havre Line sailing fits. Assuming normal procedures, New York exchange markings would list the scheduled departure date of the ship - in this case Dec 22. The second numeral is indistinct, but what is there does not contradict the conclusion.<br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1Q9VZjJzX76Z6M-xtKolgrONsKh5BICJkgeUf5yp_PXhgiEuRtOknWYYrepyGzJQDzcx08aXKtCX_Cd1-T3YwGDV9uFrut8TTamD6kpzAfWV_bF90XRR1H2XYNfYJk2nKzcZX33SO0od28E19cG91cW4k4muiBQODFVFXrYy546ZEVd775KvY5xu4DCR/s349/nethlondonexchange.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="349" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1Q9VZjJzX76Z6M-xtKolgrONsKh5BICJkgeUf5yp_PXhgiEuRtOknWYYrepyGzJQDzcx08aXKtCX_Cd1-T3YwGDV9uFrut8TTamD6kpzAfWV_bF90XRR1H2XYNfYJk2nKzcZX33SO0od28E19cG91cW4k4muiBQODFVFXrYy546ZEVd775KvY5xu4DCR/s320/nethlondonexchange.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London, Jan 5, 1867<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWlFE4d4wezoeWkdZQvVuthJgHDkxt4ZPVnU4iU-8h88Eli_0VOhJNJYF37lG6lXWHx4PCyFBLhpVsw0rB_LSj9qc94OeWJf-WoN2WH_RDocsD32WIvuXN-X2hYK7VAknLCamqg5jIG8IKqmQPU27Yem-ohWnJRlA-wUudqGfvTcHqPCM8iMgFK9F8MVN/s316/nethreceiver.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="316" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWlFE4d4wezoeWkdZQvVuthJgHDkxt4ZPVnU4iU-8h88Eli_0VOhJNJYF37lG6lXWHx4PCyFBLhpVsw0rB_LSj9qc94OeWJf-WoN2WH_RDocsD32WIvuXN-X2hYK7VAknLCamqg5jIG8IKqmQPU27Yem-ohWnJRlA-wUudqGfvTcHqPCM8iMgFK9F8MVN/s1600/nethreceiver.png" width="316" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dutch receiving mark<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, the Dutch post receiving marking is also poorly struck. We can only affirm the year (1867) of arrival. At a guess, this might be a Dokkum receiving marking.<br /></span></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rate breakdown:</span></b></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>6 cents - British Mail (equivalent to 3d in British currency)<br /></li><ul><li> 5 Dutch cents - Dutch Mail (1d in British currency)<br /></li></ul><li>21 cents - US Mail</li><ul><li>5 cents US surface mail</li><li>16 cents US contract sailing packet<br /></li></ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtd1R4WCiPpUF4tmmQFjVnc7eq4QCX42EXfh3zgFQuRJeB9Crg1K540XTF6b_elBlUjs1bPqrNXnrdr8buI0MR0CHLDee3StL-KHO-zdoQC_AwKhQA6Iycii8foYDvWlboYu3sPEM-u91iDxCocRSE0mF40iZmojtQJofJw9i-5ZITu2udOTlF3fOFKhSo/s461/nethredsix.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="291" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtd1R4WCiPpUF4tmmQFjVnc7eq4QCX42EXfh3zgFQuRJeB9Crg1K540XTF6b_elBlUjs1bPqrNXnrdr8buI0MR0CHLDee3StL-KHO-zdoQC_AwKhQA6Iycii8foYDvWlboYu3sPEM-u91iDxCocRSE0mF40iZmojtQJofJw9i-5ZITu2udOTlF3fOFKhSo/s320/nethredsix.png" width="202" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">red 6 applied in New York, likely crossed out in London<br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p>The red "6" was applied in New York City to indicate that 6 cents of the total postage was to be passed to the British Post. The British then had to pass some of the postage to the Dutch, so they crossed out the "6" to avoid confusion and applied the "5" for the amount passed to the Dutch post.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75aV6DjcsPTeJ4E3ncC_n_VTpEpNej4Kv09FyLemYYNNWDeY6TNcUvSVEYSpeL_QPYM4ARrDJ38vnwRMU2Zx0qxFAtQWaBMKI8qWXVltF8BelQzJKFUE51r9P0zPRzsoREJ5HzoEH1Vy5byRr49YHaigdF4XoVLHv16CaQmhA32NpezH1F5G7kTr4XJwg/s422/nethredfive.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="422" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75aV6DjcsPTeJ4E3ncC_n_VTpEpNej4Kv09FyLemYYNNWDeY6TNcUvSVEYSpeL_QPYM4ARrDJ38vnwRMU2Zx0qxFAtQWaBMKI8qWXVltF8BelQzJKFUE51r9P0zPRzsoREJ5HzoEH1Vy5byRr49YHaigdF4XoVLHv16CaQmhA32NpezH1F5G7kTr4XJwg/s320/nethredfive.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">red 5 applied in London<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><i><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">*****</span>The red "8" on the back of this envelope doesn't seem to have a postal significance unless, maybe it's a carrier number. Any feedback would be welcomed.<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">*****</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBwHbZTGcvVJyHUBxUgl29ZRmOVPaUOooeYGBF1YuVZ6aOMRQ1fnWp0fae9lkF-YK4kDjviF8CFUM8hMbeHVKXLST5L0BH1gVliS61yrU3R3z42l598OsVHw_w-9ZfVwhsre6hvr1k41wYnF-RnczlghpKw8VlIQImPruI4d9YfOdPR0QTnbCnUh9WaK8/s264/nethoddeightonback.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="264" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBwHbZTGcvVJyHUBxUgl29ZRmOVPaUOooeYGBF1YuVZ6aOMRQ1fnWp0fae9lkF-YK4kDjviF8CFUM8hMbeHVKXLST5L0BH1gVliS61yrU3R3z42l598OsVHw_w-9ZfVwhsre6hvr1k41wYnF-RnczlghpKw8VlIQImPruI4d9YfOdPR0QTnbCnUh9WaK8/s1600/nethoddeightonback.png" width="264" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Address panel:</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREGTSlqMVGnv97BXDpMzjXpqNOyI7uns6zBO0u2mqzKi3wnaO9chfQZCeBNVuqdXe-r5X6PMr4yTWpSw4AZJc2EvO3kXEf-spZeEh5opBwiV09VuwFKziK-qvvypjSRuECboJwp7DOZBvVxRqouhjTL4SGOMRggoG7MKscgsl9-6qs4mCr3kJO92nHJc-/s1017/nethaddresspanel.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="1017" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREGTSlqMVGnv97BXDpMzjXpqNOyI7uns6zBO0u2mqzKi3wnaO9chfQZCeBNVuqdXe-r5X6PMr4yTWpSw4AZJc2EvO3kXEf-spZeEh5opBwiV09VuwFKziK-qvvypjSRuECboJwp7DOZBvVxRqouhjTL4SGOMRggoG7MKscgsl9-6qs4mCr3kJO92nHJc-/w640-h276/nethaddresspanel.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfDO-QHcvD-gRw2OuA4ds_yo-adseish2DdP_MygUaNKIfWDBooohTvVT2spkbdw1kn9AYj3Mb9e0W6mzTbltGg9FAlrWu8jl5iSUirfb7w9AkooTcw5N7X6bRBDs5DayDrzsBwhdGjJp0nuw7oZ_Z21-6s9ANwIbGOm0NjprJ0fXgcFQGTo2ppi9z8Nj/s351/kingdomofneth.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="51" data-original-width="351" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfDO-QHcvD-gRw2OuA4ds_yo-adseish2DdP_MygUaNKIfWDBooohTvVT2spkbdw1kn9AYj3Mb9e0W6mzTbltGg9FAlrWu8jl5iSUirfb7w9AkooTcw5N7X6bRBDs5DayDrzsBwhdGjJp0nuw7oZ_Z21-6s9ANwIbGOm0NjprJ0fXgcFQGTo2ppi9z8Nj/w640-h92/kingdomofneth.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Joh: Richter</li><li>te Oostrum (Eastrum)<br /></li><li>by Dokkum</li><li>Prov. Vreesland (Friesland)<br /></li><li>Koningryk der Nederlanden (Kingdom of the Netherlands)</li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Verso of the Cover:</b></span></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOeSVLVN-1ATDOWBICogey79pVJQVccA4sTGDudHs_yg7B1ozHXi5S2OdUmyFAJOWdKC3crPgWbjwd9UbGv_kXsDF-IlR2INR4nfc3YcyP4F0kCYzqjZVcNN_7cr97sBmfHRlZY4Hj6miI4VXj3w7sYEG7W5T0Qn_lrEgv0LzCqodTvRcHV3myCktwnyA/s1643/Netherlandsback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1643" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOeSVLVN-1ATDOWBICogey79pVJQVccA4sTGDudHs_yg7B1ozHXi5S2OdUmyFAJOWdKC3crPgWbjwd9UbGv_kXsDF-IlR2INR4nfc3YcyP4F0kCYzqjZVcNN_7cr97sBmfHRlZY4Hj6miI4VXj3w7sYEG7W5T0Qn_lrEgv0LzCqodTvRcHV3myCktwnyA/w640-h356/Netherlandsback.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p> On the back, there appears to be an address that probably tells us where this letter was sent from. </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Mrs. ?.A. Richter(s?)</li><li>care of Mrs D Plaatje</li><li>Flushing Avenue, between Smith and Morrel St</li><li><a href="https://greenpointers.com/2019/01/25/where-do-the-names-of-williamsburg-streets-come-from/" target="_blank">Williamsburg</a></li><li>St (state) New York</li><li>N. Amerika</li></ul><p>The word at top right is probably "Liverpool," as in "via Liverpool." </p><p>Perhaps the recipient put the address here so it could be used later. It is certainly possible that this is NOT the address the envelope was sent from as it might be a new location that the letter writer could be found at. But, a New York City (Brooklyn) origin fits reasonably well.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Geography of note:</span></b><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODUHtuetDOiGwLFP8ylhppO2bwOGmn22RJiTIr2qXqo1iUJxLTFx_ocp80kYtYZKwiBDOWtkI5APhwHaZ-AG8c57IOt-ngCqPnh2REOhlyKAgo0XwIBDZR7Qjm57DJ86LRHJkF0l8AzoOL07UVhQjP4xit_ZZYxG2NLlKOMm4F-WmNIHSAacCa4tv8-Hm/s927/Friesland1865.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="927" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODUHtuetDOiGwLFP8ylhppO2bwOGmn22RJiTIr2qXqo1iUJxLTFx_ocp80kYtYZKwiBDOWtkI5APhwHaZ-AG8c57IOt-ngCqPnh2REOhlyKAgo0XwIBDZR7Qjm57DJ86LRHJkF0l8AzoOL07UVhQjP4xit_ZZYxG2NLlKOMm4F-WmNIHSAacCa4tv8-Hm/w640-h556/Friesland1865.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>Dokkum is located in northern Friesland. Oostrum is 5 km to its East. from Colton's 1865 map of Holland and Belgium</p><p>Oostrum has a current population under 200 and had <a href="https://www.plaatsengids.nl/oostrum-frysl%C3%A2n" target="_blank">295 people in 1840</a>. <br /></p><p></p><p><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Census information:</span></b></p><p><b>Examples of the 27 cent rate prepaid to destination - 2</b></p><p>This and one other that resided in Chip Gliedman's 12-cent 1861 collection are the only two examples I have recorded. Any information on additional examples would be appreciated.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRavu7pzPouFlu7iRdjgPO3q2xtmMYnWWiVluX-W6VEA9b2RPsYz_FZKI5yfI-wo3RSZ_jeTFxNx_T_3VOxOUs8jFDHZZjOF4TPRHdK1u7xK3L_WrU4aQFgPv2GqIrEJbqjBbt1IZ1Mp4PN2fCCPodjvc8k9i7WW15ZjNHUyDEblfuOIAWxGC-GXSnI73S/s1512/gliedmannetherlands.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1512" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRavu7pzPouFlu7iRdjgPO3q2xtmMYnWWiVluX-W6VEA9b2RPsYz_FZKI5yfI-wo3RSZ_jeTFxNx_T_3VOxOUs8jFDHZZjOF4TPRHdK1u7xK3L_WrU4aQFgPv2GqIrEJbqjBbt1IZ1Mp4PN2fCCPodjvc8k9i7WW15ZjNHUyDEblfuOIAWxGC-GXSnI73S/w640-h360/gliedmannetherlands.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy of Chip Gliedman<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />Examples of 24-cent stamp on a cover to the Netherlands - 2 (maybe 3)<br /></p><p>The other is a single 24-cent stamp overpaying the 21-cent French mail rate (per 1/4 ounce). That item was mailed in 1865 and was part of the Leon Hyzen collection. </p><p>A third cover showing a double rate of either the British Open Mail 21 cent rate or the French Mail 21 cent rate may exist, but I have yet to confirm.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Available rate summary<br /></span></b></p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;">
<caption><b>Letter Rates - US to Netherlands</b></caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Effective Date</th>
<th>Treaty Rate</th>
<th>Unit</th>
<th>Mail System<br /></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Apr 1857 - Dec 1867<br /></td>
<td>21 cents<br /></td>
<td>quarter ounce<br /></td>
<td>French Mail<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jul 1849 - Jun 1866 *<br /></td>
<td>5 cents / 21 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>British Open<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jul 1866 - Dec 1867<br /></td>
<td>27 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>British Mail<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Oct 1866 - Dec 1867<br /></td>
<td>17 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>US direct<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Feb 1867 - Dec 1867<br /></td>
<td>18 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>Bremen-Hamburg</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jan 1868 - Jan 1870<br /></td>
<td>15 cents<br /></td>
<td>half ounce<br /></td>
<td>Dutch Mail<br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;">
* British Open Mail was apparently available after June 1866, likely until Dec 1867.<br /></p><p>Note: only the British Open Mail rate required payment of some postage by the sender. All others could be sent fully paid or unpaid.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSblIlBbCptu5vlRoL9B6_UrutyQrpe4VT94mrhCc5uSAA58k0bDRb2NGY_ldhvYP_G_KiDyYIXtdB_b4EBVL1p_8YTrNFNrGUMz-nenuO7S1dNKrSMZ5jfaLcrFm2mztOb8GEjhs5mYrDdFgspZJLtUR4eY-ZuCgsmX88VPwFNIxTSIap1bCD0rsHfKa/s3647/nethjuly1866announcement.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2183" data-original-width="3647" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSblIlBbCptu5vlRoL9B6_UrutyQrpe4VT94mrhCc5uSAA58k0bDRb2NGY_ldhvYP_G_KiDyYIXtdB_b4EBVL1p_8YTrNFNrGUMz-nenuO7S1dNKrSMZ5jfaLcrFm2mztOb8GEjhs5mYrDdFgspZJLtUR4eY-ZuCgsmX88VPwFNIxTSIap1bCD0rsHfKa/w640-h384/nethjuly1866announcement.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">announcement in the July 1866 US Mail and Post Office Assistant</td></tr></tbody></table><p> The July 1866 announcement was actually repeated in the October 1866 US Mail and Postal Office Assistant, along with the announcement of the new rate via ships direct to Belgium. The lines providing the direct to Belgium route weren't actually available to carry mail until 1867 and carried very little mail. I have seen no examples of that rate paid or unpaid.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUP1uHAcLG6Pj8aBwVtkRX-X0XR4xMort5pXLLW7HuXLOsxyenyJzb6s1nOz3vArQCUvPMQX7kvt8gsw5RgBh73Eiy548Y_NVDcJ6FOfiWvL8jEBLFvPApVLbhZlBWXOXSBROHk8NpiDzz0v_JGSilJU4Pj3mojdO9u_Mv1VnA5ZH6iaKGz2cwWW2YtwA/s5022/nethviabelgiumannouncement.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5022" data-original-width="2382" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUP1uHAcLG6Pj8aBwVtkRX-X0XR4xMort5pXLLW7HuXLOsxyenyJzb6s1nOz3vArQCUvPMQX7kvt8gsw5RgBh73Eiy548Y_NVDcJ6FOfiWvL8jEBLFvPApVLbhZlBWXOXSBROHk8NpiDzz0v_JGSilJU4Pj3mojdO9u_Mv1VnA5ZH6iaKGz2cwWW2YtwA/w190-h400/nethviabelgiumannouncement.png" width="190" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct 1866 announcement, click to enlarge<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> The Bremen and Hamburg option was added in February 1867. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDRQCfEN8lTOaqW_Nba0W8F5v6AuwbBxeSRlhV169VC70nmfOl3onJ8SkHbOjwJdPpmd1EAapPYoaq4ipFZremUwpNzRDxEq1GqUo1ISUHePmEx7lszsc_GUFT59pFm4Fq4SuPcYl2VOR8wReB0DowR1bRKODeXc3BgoOP4aboJQfgP3f5vCSaa86E4RB/s6240/IMG_9486.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDRQCfEN8lTOaqW_Nba0W8F5v6AuwbBxeSRlhV169VC70nmfOl3onJ8SkHbOjwJdPpmd1EAapPYoaq4ipFZremUwpNzRDxEq1GqUo1ISUHePmEx7lszsc_GUFT59pFm4Fq4SuPcYl2VOR8wReB0DowR1bRKODeXc3BgoOP4aboJQfgP3f5vCSaa86E4RB/s320/IMG_9486.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feb 1867 announcement, click to enlarge<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> -------------</p><p>The <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Cover%20A%20Day-ish" target="_blank">Cover A Day-ish</a> series provides an opportunity to analyze the details of a cover without too much additional text. These posts are often used as a repository as I explore a particular item. <br /></p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-78365203757258730982023-10-29T05:30:00.001-05:002023-10-29T05:30:00.143-05:00When I Grow Up - Postal History Sunday<p>Welcome to the 167th Postal History Sunday entry since I started writing these weekly blogs in August of 2020. For those who are relatively new to visiting, this started as a mini-project within a larger project. Because we were in the midst of the pandemic and the social isolation that came with it, I felt that I could do my part to both help myself and others by writing - since I had (and have) some skill in that area.</p><p>My initial goal was to write a blog entry every day for three months on <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">our farm blog</a> (Genuine Faux Farm), starting at the end of March. I reached that goal and continued writing. Because I was writing frequently, and I enjoyed postal history as a hobby, it made sense to share some of that in addition to the various other topics (like farming) I covered. Then, before I knew it, I'd written a series called Postal History Sunday for a year. </p><p>My goal has remained the same. I try to share something I enjoy in a way that people with little to no knowledge in postal history can understand what is written. But, at the same time, I hope to provide enough that even those with significant postal history knowledge can also appreciate what is here.<br /></p><p>So, put on those fuzzy slippers. Grab a favorite beverage - but it keep it away from the computer keyboard and the paper collectibles. Take your troubles and push them under the cushions in your couch (never to be seen again). Maybe you'll find today's blog interesting and perhaps we'll all learn something new - or at least be entertained by the attempt.<br /></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBABWP-xzY54F_kSAg6TRev3JPslSeaTlYuRZwmE-7zH9ahqFqnlXrmVdP_fVqLVw1LaKdD6pHKoMXyv3GuYOwNKduW2R1awWaS4Yx5KoHP8H5T_oh0zdZdZmVQS6GTL8oZzVJWNOa8C-y1lztU0TqyQxDCWfeimXeSAHMD-HIa-KZsy7otobiCaz0yA/s1767/AmericanAgriculturist.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1767" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBABWP-xzY54F_kSAg6TRev3JPslSeaTlYuRZwmE-7zH9ahqFqnlXrmVdP_fVqLVw1LaKdD6pHKoMXyv3GuYOwNKduW2R1awWaS4Yx5KoHP8H5T_oh0zdZdZmVQS6GTL8oZzVJWNOa8C-y1lztU0TqyQxDCWfeimXeSAHMD-HIa-KZsy7otobiCaz0yA/w640-h362/AmericanAgriculturist.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>One of the neat things about postal history is that you can often find connections to your own personal life. For example, the illustrated cover shown above advertised the American Agriculturist for just $1.50 per year! As a small-scale, diversified farmer, it is not hard to see how this particular item might attract my attention. As the person who is just stopping by to read the blog, I can see why YOU might also be attracted to it. There is so much to see here!</p><p>If you look carefully, you will find apples, pears, pumpkins, turnips, chickens, hoes, rakes, plows and even a couple of birds at the top left and right of the postage stamp. In the text that describes the journal, they tout "300 to 400" instructive and beautiful engravings inside the journal itself. The envelope's engravings probably aren't terribly instructive, but they certainly are beautifully done.</p><p>The postal history side of this item seems fairly simple. It appears to have been mailed at the domestic rate for mail internal to the United States. The postage stamp indicated payment of three cents, which was appropriate for a simple letter that weighed no more than 1/2 ounce. </p><p>It looks to me as if the postmark is from New York - which would make sense if the mailer was the American Agriculturist. The recipient's mailing address is a Box in the New York Post Office (NYPO). It seems to me that this might have qualified for the lower, drop letter mail rate (local mail). But, that was not used here, even if it did qualify. </p><p>The letter was most likely mailed in 1868 given the style of postmark and the fact that the 3 cent postage stamp has something called a "grill" impressed in its paper.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNVaSgf7QNjKINTX_XEZmAISNoFmevVaAAlJNvMtHlDxJWLNTcYp0I0XvLl-1-3w17PnnLpihHIvSGQair-yesMFRQIsnKZgxY6SpXF_Oz0Zlp0_1gZRSqq9h0RHG5_-rL3ItdyAL1rz9JSfFBLLcIa30rvkEe3npKxKh8Qopw24AcUx_0alDNNx4yxvs/s475/grilled3cent.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="475" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNVaSgf7QNjKINTX_XEZmAISNoFmevVaAAlJNvMtHlDxJWLNTcYp0I0XvLl-1-3w17PnnLpihHIvSGQair-yesMFRQIsnKZgxY6SpXF_Oz0Zlp0_1gZRSqq9h0RHG5_-rL3ItdyAL1rz9JSfFBLLcIa30rvkEe3npKxKh8Qopw24AcUx_0alDNNx4yxvs/w640-h564/grilled3cent.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>If you look carefully at the image shown above, you can see a grid on the face of George Washington. This is where the grill was impressed on the stamp. At the time, the US Post Office was concerned about the loss of revenue caused by persons seeking to use stamps a second time by cleaning the post marks off of them. The Post Office tried several new techniques to make cleaning hard to do. In this case, by impressing a grid into the paper, they felt it would allow the ink to sink into the paper more (note the darker spots of cancelling ink where the grid is). Also, the stamp might be more prone to breaking down during the cleaning process.</p><p>If you'd like to learn more about grills, you can view this <a href="https://www.linns.com/news/us-stamps-postal-history/charles-steel-first-production-grill-united-states-stamps.html" target="_blank">Linn's Stamp News article by James Lee</a>, or you can read this one <a href="https://www.americanstampdealer.com/SubMenu/Grills_Getting_to_know_them.aspx" target="_blank">by Peter Mosiondz, Jr</a>. <br /></p><p>Now, getting back to what I was saying after I was distracted by the grill thing....<br /></p><p></p><p>I will admit that I have not been terribly aggressive pursuing items simply because they have a personal connection for me, even though are numerous ways a person could do so. You could hunt for items mailed to our from locations you once lived. You could look for things postmarked on dates that are important to you or find covers that reflect your interests or occupation, as this one does for me. The choices are limitless.</p><p>So, of course, I got into postal history by looking for things like this instead.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNi9NG5QGk9WnO-MwP-0Dq_kZO7tPgmAHkCJzpaZ-5pQGyQrMuK8f9sqXmzwziIBHlUBF31d_S_Se2ahnrRaKC3ClJatYAROuqBMmI8scLBjMZHRv1VdgRr2OhGoVjOe8KQEvq0Y6N6cZl3cULnGZzr0QhaZHeMYD_VWIyzQVhJKRrqupALVDetyH5D1t/s1629/susquehanna.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1629" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNi9NG5QGk9WnO-MwP-0Dq_kZO7tPgmAHkCJzpaZ-5pQGyQrMuK8f9sqXmzwziIBHlUBF31d_S_Se2ahnrRaKC3ClJatYAROuqBMmI8scLBjMZHRv1VdgRr2OhGoVjOe8KQEvq0Y6N6cZl3cULnGZzr0QhaZHeMYD_VWIyzQVhJKRrqupALVDetyH5D1t/w640-h364/susquehanna.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />If you have visited this blog in the past, you might recall that I have pursued postal history that bears postage stamps with the design of the one shown above. These stamps are the 24-cent value of the 1861 design of postage stamps. Their typical use period was from August of 1861 through the 1860s. Some might still be found that were in use into the early 1870s. <p></p><p>This letter was mailed on November 29 of 1861 from Susquehanna Depo, Pennsylvania, to London, England. The cost for a simple letter that crossed the Atlantic Ocean to England was 24 cents as long as it weighed no more than 1/2 ounce. The letter traveled from Pennsylvania to New York City, where it left on a Cunard Line ship. The red "19" was applied there and it was placed in a mailbag and not taken out until it got to the London foreign mail office.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1vASKSSR9y9Ni9VbTyjMkaTLWMRmOSavjLB6CEnKVmK9fCeJKXhP_kT-DiUmk9e23UUt6AGfHR260LsPJUeWT_TtY-DsQpv5FJQqFkPtDbFNDY6Y1In505kDSUojVpVS4vbFC21ZlZkqpmFnL1HyX62JEKemSjuO5sYWGrTZ_ADCZhKJLElDu7W05Pm4/s370/steelbluesusque.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="293" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1vASKSSR9y9Ni9VbTyjMkaTLWMRmOSavjLB6CEnKVmK9fCeJKXhP_kT-DiUmk9e23UUt6AGfHR260LsPJUeWT_TtY-DsQpv5FJQqFkPtDbFNDY6Y1In505kDSUojVpVS4vbFC21ZlZkqpmFnL1HyX62JEKemSjuO5sYWGrTZ_ADCZhKJLElDu7W05Pm4/w316-h400/steelbluesusque.png" width="316" /></a></div>The twenty-four cent stamp was attractive to me because I enjoyed viewing the fine lattice work around the stamps. It's kind of like the American Agriculturist cover - there's lots to see here if you want to spend the time looking. Can you imagine the time it took the engraver to etch this particular design? Just take a moment to appreciate the skill that must have been required to do this in the first place!<p></p><p>People who study the 1861 issues, and the 24-cent stamp in particular, are aware that the papers and the inks changed over the period of time this design was printed (Aug 1861 to 1868). Earlier papers tended to be whiter and thinner. Also, there are some distinct color varieties (if you have a good eye for color) that are sought after. In this case, the example shown above is a "steel blue" shade, which was printed during the earliest periods of production.</p><p>But, for me, the shades are secondary to the postal history and social history that each cover brings along with it. </p><p>I have been actively enjoying covers that use this particular stamp since before the year 2000, and I have developed and shown an exhibit one to two times a year at various philatelic (stamp collecting) gatherings. The exhibit has undergone many changes and improvements over the years. It has done very well it's last couple of times out - <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2021/11/how-you-slice-it-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">one in Chicago</a> (2021) and the other <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2019/08/big-gap.html" target="_blank">in Omaha</a> (2019). But, it took significant time and a fair amount of effort to get to that point.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">What are you going to do when you grow up?</span></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohvFYj9uwloCAnQi0aWdXxj433wzl-sAwRoHxWoV2bP8TjmXcZJkLt8IqmGw7daDMED5Dfdq8U37cGy4yk4vYczxa65rIO_FCMmDvJu-Z2HjO3Ju5n7BRyyLKfm32ve7slY8KaNh_2xa8jzdwG4dEzdI6kO4Orvs3iSDJQiZgEQ8AnaWJqbpy_y13353l/s1760/doublemulticolor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1760" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohvFYj9uwloCAnQi0aWdXxj433wzl-sAwRoHxWoV2bP8TjmXcZJkLt8IqmGw7daDMED5Dfdq8U37cGy4yk4vYczxa65rIO_FCMmDvJu-Z2HjO3Ju5n7BRyyLKfm32ve7slY8KaNh_2xa8jzdwG4dEzdI6kO4Orvs3iSDJQiZgEQ8AnaWJqbpy_y13353l/w640-h370/doublemulticolor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>My first attempt at exhibiting happened in 1999, I think. I showed one frame (16 pages) that included 24-cent stamps and some postal history. At that time, the single frame exhibits were being touted for beginners and I did just fine in that class, getting a top prize in my first attempt. Looking back, I'm not sure that it was so much because I good versus the fact that maybe I showed a little promise - of just that the competition was all "less good" than I.<br /></p><p>So, I decided to jump into the big pool a year later and learned that I had a lot to learn. But, that did not prevent me from coming back to try again and again - making adjustments to the display each time. </p><p>At one point, my hope was to be able to receive a "gold" medal for the exhibit. For those who are not initiated in this sort of exhibiting, a gold did not mean you'd won first place. It simply meant, at the time, that you had an exhibit that was considered to be in the upper tier. I might liken it to getting an A or A- in a class in school (maybe even a B+). I appeared to be firmly entrenched in the "B range," which is the vermeil medal level. </p><p>These exhibiting competitions include a judge's critique where all of the exhibitors can hear some critique for their work (and for the work of their peers who had also participated). I recall one year in particular where I, once again, had received a vermeil award. I raised my hand to request my comments and told them the title of my work. Upon hearing it, the head judge took one look at me and exploded...</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i><span style="font-size: large;">"What are you going to do when you grow up?!?"</span></i></blockquote><p></p><p>I could have taken that wrong if I'd wanted, but I didn't. I knew what this person meant. Exhibiting has been (and still is) dominated by folks who are near or past retirement age. The majority are men, though there were and are many women who are very well-respected. I was, in the eyes of most of the judges and nearly all of the exhibitors - a pup. And, it was not normal for a pup to be attempting a topic like this. A farming exhibit - yes. Postal history for the 24-cent 1861 postage stamp? Not so much.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Still not sure what I'll do when I grow up</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaV-iTX8X5UoNRcNQnSYFgWGjUyOqzCyH86fdbq-RFIck4TkTOdGDGQQCDoyaYfZoMnbaMhQUNJ4MQS4Wno7qEYx2ByG2_eG0_PeusdLxOPsjHeuQ2drNfv7SROFT7GYgvGTf6HGzL3qRv-y2pLoYwd268QZ3IB1HUcLfcGgdzJg3RyOPfKqheaBVCdz6/s1525/Hannover3color.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1525" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaV-iTX8X5UoNRcNQnSYFgWGjUyOqzCyH86fdbq-RFIck4TkTOdGDGQQCDoyaYfZoMnbaMhQUNJ4MQS4Wno7qEYx2ByG2_eG0_PeusdLxOPsjHeuQ2drNfv7SROFT7GYgvGTf6HGzL3qRv-y2pLoYwd268QZ3IB1HUcLfcGgdzJg3RyOPfKqheaBVCdz6/w640-h358/Hannover3color.tif" width="640" /></a></div><p>There is still some debate as to whether I have grown up or not. I suspect that discussion never will be settled. And I am perfectly fine with that.</p><p>So, while others argue one side or the other of that topic, I intend to continue to dive deeper into the postal history and social history that surround postal artifacts using the 24-cent stamp that was designed and put in use in 1861. If I can also find a personal connection hidden in there at the same time, I won't say no.</p><p>For example, this envelope was mailed on September 22 (1860s) in Cincinnati, Ohio. The letter bears 28 cents in postage which covers the price of a simple letter to Hannover - one of the German States. The letter traveled from Cincinnati to New York City (by train), crossed the Atlantic on a Cunard Line ship and was off-loaded at Southampton. From there it crossed the English Channel to Ostende, Belgium. It crossed Belgium and entered the Prussian mails at Aachen, where it was taken out of the mailbag for the first time since it departed New York. From there, it took the railroad to its destination in Hannover.</p><p>The personal connection has to do with the origin. I have been a long-time Cincinnati Reds (baseball) fan. It may seem like a silly thing, but there is still a tiny thrill when I find a letter that is over 150 years old and I see the name "Cincinnati" on it. It doesn't have to make sense. It doesn't have to matter to you. But, I like it. I can enjoy some of the postal history I've been digging into for many years now and still indulge the personal connection.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Back to the American Agriculturist</span></b></p><p>At the point our first envelope was mailed, the American Agriculturist was published by Orange Judd and Company in New York City. The journal started in 1843, and Orange Judd took control of its monthly publication in 1856. Eventually, it moved to a weekly publication.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaYA9qbj59yL6Lwb_casNEPj6VNkfUCad0oZXqAHdCEBxDrN9w8oVykoGkknZQRHzUHgT-96uasbXcCksDtth_-FCOc5S6m75Hilt5nt3nJFl_yeu6JB4jPWzmXgB_c32oEpPC4XosjFIeW_mSnDaVktzYSfcTAgWcKF99Jo-l2dSS1IBJ-b47hQ2Muq1/s1098/americanagriculturist.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="1098" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaYA9qbj59yL6Lwb_casNEPj6VNkfUCad0oZXqAHdCEBxDrN9w8oVykoGkknZQRHzUHgT-96uasbXcCksDtth_-FCOc5S6m75Hilt5nt3nJFl_yeu6JB4jPWzmXgB_c32oEpPC4XosjFIeW_mSnDaVktzYSfcTAgWcKF99Jo-l2dSS1IBJ-b47hQ2Muq1/w640-h470/americanagriculturist.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advertisement for the journal in the American Agriculturist of January, 1869<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>An excellent <a href="https://www.19thc-artworldwide.org/autumn21/mandravelis-on-the-american-agriculturist" target="_blank">article by Stephen Mandravelis</a> focuses on the artwork in that journal and the increased use of engravings once Orange Judd and Company took over publication. In fact, there are between 300 and 400 engravings in one year's worth of publication for the American Agriculturist in the mid-1860s, which is the time period when the letter must have been sent. By the time we get to 1878, the journal had reached a number of engravings that measured beyond the 700 mark.</p><p>Mandravelis points out, in his paper, that the American Agriculturist promoted its product by emphasizing its artistic work - in addition to practical articles that could be useful to a wide range of people, including the "Boys and Girls." Just look at the page on the right and towards the bottom and you will see how they sold what they did to the public.</p><p></p><blockquote><i><span style="font-size: large;">"The best paper in the world in illustrations and original matter on agriculture, horticulture, housekeeping and for the boys and girls."</span></i></blockquote><p></p><p>If you are interested in seeing some of the actual publications, they are housed on the <a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/144617" target="_blank">Biodiversity Heritage Library</a>. You can find the image shown above if you view the 1869 volume (it is located in the second page labeled "text" after page 36).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcHOo0If7r6O2_QBm5gEepKICz9C2dL7a-9UAqloXe_8d0ZMQh_QluMz58QH0vc5bOVZ4RjRYYeq8qwH1Jue9-sqW3JKv56cblNXES_YERgjGNeNL-CTG4_aTq_jrDNVW_Vrsy-vUWHuO9SCLSA90jDs2kW-rp8KVMb3o3_ILUsi1GJmhj7s18UuXWZaq/s1663/GeneseeFarmer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1663" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcHOo0If7r6O2_QBm5gEepKICz9C2dL7a-9UAqloXe_8d0ZMQh_QluMz58QH0vc5bOVZ4RjRYYeq8qwH1Jue9-sqW3JKv56cblNXES_YERgjGNeNL-CTG4_aTq_jrDNVW_Vrsy-vUWHuO9SCLSA90jDs2kW-rp8KVMb3o3_ILUsi1GJmhj7s18UuXWZaq/w640-h358/GeneseeFarmer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>And here is a letter advertising the Genesee Farmer, another contemporary farming journal. A run of this journal from 1847 to 1865 can also be found on the <a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/24991" target="_blank">Biodiversity Heritage Library</a>. The American Agriculturist absorbed the Genesee Farmer in 1866, so there is actually a direct link between the two.</p><p>If you do take a moment to view some of both of these publications, it rapidly becomes clear that the Genesee Farmer was not bent on employing the very best engravers for the artwork. While there are some illustrations, the better illustrations are often found in the advertisements, rather than the text. On the other hand, it is possible that I may find one or the other has better writing - should I allow myself the time to read more than I have already.<br /></p><p>I took a moment and read something at random in the Genesee Farmer (page 124 of the 1864 volume), and found, much to my amusement, discussion and disagreement about the "proper" time to prune fruit trees. Even today, I have heard much debate regarding the "best and proper" pruning period. I've even heard some folks joke that the best time to prune is when you have the pruner in your hands (that includes Tammy and myself).<br /></p><p>A<a href="https://orchardpeople.com/when-to-prune-fruit-trees/" target="_blank"> good 2023 article</a> by the Orchard People gives a nice summary of how different pruning timings might be best for certain situations. And it should be noted, that timing is different based on region and the type of fruit tree. In the end, the answer is like so many things in life - it depends. But there is certainly agreement that Fall and early Winter is rarely a good time if you live in a colder, Northern Hemisphere climate, whether you read an article in 1864 or 2023. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesEYTZeRLTGG5U-r-1VtqvVsIHjjfyYeuRvVbR8EtYi04h6Ev7Jlszauu8kCFrDWGmPIa0e3z7bZ_xR25h7Ud601gXi8xiymKH8f5khBKuM4COWPDz-PPOrnKvzArr1zgd-wGaB9zNZCed1TWqNyU_bIJSQBcUYp0gTLOUXjg0dmgw3iouAVjtFJ11zVR/s1949/FarmJournal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="1949" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesEYTZeRLTGG5U-r-1VtqvVsIHjjfyYeuRvVbR8EtYi04h6Ev7Jlszauu8kCFrDWGmPIa0e3z7bZ_xR25h7Ud601gXi8xiymKH8f5khBKuM4COWPDz-PPOrnKvzArr1zgd-wGaB9zNZCed1TWqNyU_bIJSQBcUYp0gTLOUXjg0dmgw3iouAVjtFJ11zVR/w640-h366/FarmJournal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />And now I transport you to the year 1949. The postage rate for a simple letter is STILL 3 cents - but a simple letter can be as heavy as one ounce (instead of a half ounce). The Farm Journal is still active in 2023 and there are online versions available from its inception in <a href="https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=farmjournal" target="_blank">1877 to 1943</a> at the University of Pennsylvania site.<p></p><p>A May 1878 Farm Journal article for the orchard on page 125 extols the virtue of having hogs in the orchard. They root up the ground, fertilize the area and eat the fallen apples and pears. The benefit of having those hogs eat the fallen apples is to prevent the increase of the codling moths, who like to lay their eggs in the young fruit. Those fruit tend to fall to the ground, so the pigs eat the fruit AND the codling moth eggs/larvae.<br /></p><p>So, there you are folks. If you are having codling moth problems, move the pigs into the orchard!</p><p>Another Postal History Sunday in the books! I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great remainder of your day and a fine week to come.</p><p>------------</p><p></p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-19751019570092549712023-10-22T05:30:00.359-05:002023-10-24T11:31:56.000-05:00Correspondence Course II - Postal History Sunday<p>Welcome! You have just found your way to Postal History Sunday. This is the place where Farmer Rob shares a subject he enjoys with anyone who has interest. If you don't know much about postal history, that's ok, I try to write in a way that is accessible to both those with and without expertise in the subject area. This week might be a bit deeper into the postal history than some. But the good news is - there is NO TEST afterward. And, I am always happy to answer questions and I invite corrections and additional information when it is offered.</p><p>Now, let's put on the fuzzy slippers and get ourselves a favorite beverage and snack. Push those troubles out of sight for a while and maybe we can all learn something new and interesting.<br /></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xvnfQam4OUf_AOYzLKcmnZq22l37FHXWhTQAepxYAFlfWddRBGfVTcaMtcmRdoc-9C2p2tt0U_wzhZaIxmRx26GW3fz4W6gm_ZDcgCtj_rQmcbNft6sk_plrc8kkDvDT4hTd0R7Xg2ZAu0QTKV4jTvBNgP1h0txJr-K-Fv5BYkbVT9mCiZF-cOEeQ2Kx/s1673/FR10_tonetherlands1856.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1673" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xvnfQam4OUf_AOYzLKcmnZq22l37FHXWhTQAepxYAFlfWddRBGfVTcaMtcmRdoc-9C2p2tt0U_wzhZaIxmRx26GW3fz4W6gm_ZDcgCtj_rQmcbNft6sk_plrc8kkDvDT4hTd0R7Xg2ZAu0QTKV4jTvBNgP1h0txJr-K-Fv5BYkbVT9mCiZF-cOEeQ2Kx/w640-h418/FR10_tonetherlands1856.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1856 folded letter from France to the Netherlands<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p></p><p>One of my ongoing postal history projects has been to continue to<span> familiarize myself with mail handling in Western Europe
during the 1850 to 1875 period.This is an important transitional period for postal systems. The "cheap postage" movement was making it possible for more of the population to send letters, railroad systems were providing speedier delivery options, and the agreements nations made to exchange mail were changing to handle higher volumes and greater routing complexities.</span></p><p><span>The letter shown above was mailed in Bordeaux, France, in October of 1856. The postage stamps show that the post office received 60 centimes, which was the proper rate for a letter to the Netherlands at the time. The recipient of the letter was the financial firm, Luden and van Geuns in Amsterdam.</span></p><p><span>Postal historians are often grateful for correspondences with businesses such as Luden and van Geuns because they had business dealings around the globe. Apparently, much of the old folded letters and envelopes were saved with their business records and much of it was eventually dispersed to postal history collectors. This gives people like me an opportunity to get a good picture of what mail to Amsterdam from all over the globe looked like while they were in business.<br /></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYcnthkzb3x74ANyjad3NTE8Ny8HsT4PMlpldtRvoHIs5_HvDFXdOpV2uplDLOJC69AX0vuL5a0v8oP0h5UUNnnItHnXjeo9bluGNjSOwPa8n1TLH9cMMwhlFIpWpAqQxaeN3K9jSUe_3hYe_q50-_6mE9VFDeRWr98rXxLhnR1ZPNt5t6dH7B6YJVcgh/s2797/Portrait_of_Johannes_Luden.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2797" data-original-width="2157" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYcnthkzb3x74ANyjad3NTE8Ny8HsT4PMlpldtRvoHIs5_HvDFXdOpV2uplDLOJC69AX0vuL5a0v8oP0h5UUNnnItHnXjeo9bluGNjSOwPa8n1TLH9cMMwhlFIpWpAqQxaeN3K9jSUe_3hYe_q50-_6mE9VFDeRWr98rXxLhnR1ZPNt5t6dH7B6YJVcgh/w309-h400/Portrait_of_Johannes_Luden.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johannes Luden (1792-1868)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Luden
and van Geuns</span></b></p>
<p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Johannes_Luden" target="_blank">Johannes Luden</a> was born in Amsterdam in
1792 to a family that had connections to the whaling business on his
grandmother’s side. His father ran the
firm Jb. H. Luden and Sons that was active in West Indies Dutch Colonial trade<sup>1</sup>. I presume that Johannes may well have been
involved in his father’s company before joining G. Nolthenius and Albert van
Geuns in their own enterprise.<span> </span>Johannes
Luden died in Amsterdam in January of 1868, thus much of the correspondence
shown later in this article arrived after his death, though the company kept
his name.</p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCm-PCxE5eQ5RzNwtoSUd-kH7vcXZ5ivRO4VLprTLE0rrzvTCrScNkL8NkQeWxzYhmKHFd_hDthP1eVsbxasjYUy_QmMfOr-uWd4RSnhTnLqi6Z8vUHMuwS_yZd8AFQc4uisNZkjPTogM_ryfEY_NcG5L2cy3uKnM2ZGP1E7so1wjMQHkdYQ=s650" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="406" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCm-PCxE5eQ5RzNwtoSUd-kH7vcXZ5ivRO4VLprTLE0rrzvTCrScNkL8NkQeWxzYhmKHFd_hDthP1eVsbxasjYUy_QmMfOr-uWd4RSnhTnLqi6Z8vUHMuwS_yZd8AFQc4uisNZkjPTogM_ryfEY_NcG5L2cy3uKnM2ZGP1E7so1wjMQHkdYQ=w250-h400" width="250" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Albert van Geuns ca 1860<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p></p>
<p>The van Geuns family is an extremely
<a href="https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Geuns,_van,_family&oldid=141131" target="_blank">well-known Mennonite family</a> that was affluent and influential in the
Netherlands during the 1700s and 1800s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Family papers are kept in the Utrecht archives that apparently go back
as far as 1647, so further research on better known family members is certainly
possible.<span> </span>Albert van Geuns was born in
1806 and, despite his status as founder of a bank, is overshadowed by numerous
physicians, lawyers and ministers of note that can be found in the family tree<sup>2</sup>.<span> </span>The family connections may have provided significant capital to get a bank started.</p>
<p>Evidence that the financial house of
Nolthenius, Luden and van Geuns was active as early as 1839 can be seen with
the purchase of a new sailing frigate that was christened the <i><a href="https://www.marhisdata.nl/schip?id=9945" target="_blank">Suzanna Christina</a><sup>3</sup></i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At some point after 1846, Nolthenius was
removed from the name of the company and it appears Luden and van Geuns were
active financiers until the early 1870s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are not listed in the 1874 Banker’s Almanac and may have liquidated
prior to that point<sup>4</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Albert
van Goens no longer had a partner in the firm upon Luden’s death in 1868 and it
is possible van Goens began the process of consolidating and liquidating
assets at that point - possibly up to the point of his own death in 1879.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIjCXBadjSsd4xzeaUCDrhqjCuYNvOlS-N9IcrH0OBSoMi8YqncmiRF5yAq7asdEoKg5c0zixOR1ZINzdXbJvslpVARfs8tjxcSHYz95ZTzRI9kunYy5C_Vfb1nopxqxOZGfH1AOTaCBHr_oREgtsQIXqfuBB0RQpa4e3RARBAyeRREQtbeuiRVmN75gv/s744/sailingfrigatesFrederecRouxcirca1850.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="744" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIjCXBadjSsd4xzeaUCDrhqjCuYNvOlS-N9IcrH0OBSoMi8YqncmiRF5yAq7asdEoKg5c0zixOR1ZINzdXbJvslpVARfs8tjxcSHYz95ZTzRI9kunYy5C_Vfb1nopxqxOZGfH1AOTaCBHr_oREgtsQIXqfuBB0RQpa4e3RARBAyeRREQtbeuiRVmN75gv/w640-h347/sailingfrigatesFrederecRouxcirca1850.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing frigates - Frederec Roux circa 1850<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /><p></p>
<p>Luden and van Geuns were active bankers in
Amsterdam at a time when the tides were turning against traditional Dutch power
concentrations in the merchant houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>International banking businesses were changing towards less centralized
structures and the old models struggled to stay relevant in the finance
industry<sup>5</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luden and van
Geuns may well have found themselves straddling both worlds, modeling themselves
on traditional financial houses, but being part of a wave of new banking
institutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike many newer banks of
the time, they appeared to rely on family wealth (and thus limited investors)
for their initial capital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other banks
spread out risk by having a larger number of investors, often allowing publicly
traded shares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p>It <span> </span>seems that Luden and van Goens either could not
weather the trends or they could find no one to continue operations as its
legacy does not appear to have carried on beyond the lives of its founders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> But, perhaps, the company continued under a different name (or names).</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Postal
Conventions and evolving rates/routes</span></b></p>
<p>Prior to the General Postal Union (1875)
and the Universal Postal Union (1879), postal arrangements between nations were
anything but simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not uncommon
to have several postage rates listed for the same destination and the required
postage often varied greatly depending on the route being taken. For example, a
letter from Amsterdam to Malta in 1852 would cost 120 Dutch centen if it went
via England versus 45 Dutch centen if it traveled via Trieste. <span> </span>While it might seem that the decision would be
simple – choose the mail rate via Trieste -<span>
</span>one had to consider mail departure dates and travel times to determine
if the less expensive route might result in delays that might actually be more
costly in the end.</p>
<p>Nations that shared borders in Europe
typically maintained postal agreements for the exchange of mail.<span> </span>The Netherlands maintained postal agreements
with neighboring Belgium, Prussia and Hannover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As could be expected, the postal rates for neighboring countries were
more favorable than those to nations that required transit via another country
or by sea.<span> </span> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIuZp-Mw0T7aWNa7yVbztanI-oTMrOUqpCSXg3f5bd2KvCnoIDHgXC1HhDH6zhYKJ4_8aauXQyDiWmqwFBgec5MRyKUzkikTRfJ6h1DGn2WhG7vyyMXwwWSe9_Wj7YUZ0F1K6nXMtU3I2qyv2CisPq5AHqqkjqdtD4W_J5L0bj0HbdzkAjB9gZP9dnd8I/s3438/Figure%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3438" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIuZp-Mw0T7aWNa7yVbztanI-oTMrOUqpCSXg3f5bd2KvCnoIDHgXC1HhDH6zhYKJ4_8aauXQyDiWmqwFBgec5MRyKUzkikTRfJ6h1DGn2WhG7vyyMXwwWSe9_Wj7YUZ0F1K6nXMtU3I2qyv2CisPq5AHqqkjqdtD4W_J5L0bj0HbdzkAjB9gZP9dnd8I/w558-h640/Figure%202.jpg" width="558" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colton's Holland and Belgium Map (1865) - modified to highlight border crossings<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Letter mail from Belgium</span></b></p>
<p>The Congress of Vienna (1815) attached Belgium to the Netherlands even though Napoleon had not yet been
defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
October 4, 1830, Belgium declared independence from the Netherlands and the
current powers of Europe intervened and ratified this on January 10,
1831. The final treaty signed on Oct 15, 1831 left Luxembourg with the
Netherlands and recognized Belgium, but Netherlands refused to participate in
the treaty. Conflict persisted between the Netherlands and Belgium for
eight more years until a second treaty (Treaty of London - 1839) set the
boundaries that are similar to what we see today.</p>
<p></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifm5xpuDsvPsDVSQ_gwrHASWiflopT1Zx1Ix7HEPIRNgxK3qK4v2EroixktEaHh3vnIFBGqVzgCfBA4-37sIAsdsIs69HTFNghTUeP8QLQ5IMVZfnIjLqc3s0SI3Fl_0S9cq9Ji2na6blxOMF4hDtCt2Dl8gM5IeK8SMpMOBP_zdUdqqhuYNoHYOGz-CiJ/s2622/OstendePrint1830ish.tif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2114" data-original-width="2622" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifm5xpuDsvPsDVSQ_gwrHASWiflopT1Zx1Ix7HEPIRNgxK3qK4v2EroixktEaHh3vnIFBGqVzgCfBA4-37sIAsdsIs69HTFNghTUeP8QLQ5IMVZfnIjLqc3s0SI3Fl_0S9cq9Ji2na6blxOMF4hDtCt2Dl8gM5IeK8SMpMOBP_zdUdqqhuYNoHYOGz-CiJ/w640-h516/OstendePrint1830ish.tif" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ostende circa 1830<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /><p></p>
<p>The Dutch closed their markets to Belgian
products and several years of poor harvests led to economic difficulties for
Belgium in the 1840’s.<span> </span>However, Belgium
was able to weather the rash of revolutionary sentiment in 1848 and worked to
adjust to the loss of access to the Dutch ports by developing an efficient rail
system that connected to shipping facilities in Ostende<sup>6</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From a postal history perspective, Belgium
plays a pivotal role as a mail transit nation for treaty mail from this point
forward.<span> </span>The Dutch, on the other hand,
were slow to develop rail services and continued to lose economic influence in
Europe.</p>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 1.5pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: medium; padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p>
</td>
<td colspan="4" style="border: medium; padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letter Rates - Belgium to the Netherlands</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td colspan="2" style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Effective Date</span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rate</span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Border Rate</span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unit</span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td colspan="2" style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Apr
1, 1852</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">40
centimes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">20
centimes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(a)</i></span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">15
grams</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td colspan="2" style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jul
1, 1865</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">20
centimes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10
centimes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(b)</i></span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10
grams</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td colspan="2" style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dec
15, 1873</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">20
centimes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10
centimes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">15
grams</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr height="0">
<td style="border: medium;" width="102"><br /></td>
<td style="border: medium;" width="2"><br /></td>
<td style="border: medium;" width="94"><br /></td>
<td style="border: medium;" width="120"><br /></td>
<td style="border: medium;" width="75"><br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">(a)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i>–
50 km distance</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">(b)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i>–
30 km distance</p>
<p>Letter mail from Belgium to the Netherlands
could be carried over an impressive network of roads and waterways, even if the
development of rail services was limited in Holland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most mail to Amsterdam would take the rail
line from Anvers (Antwerp) in Belgium up to Moerdyk where steam ferries would
cross Hollands Diep. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not until
1872 that a bridge over Hollands Diep was opened to rail travel. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The route from there to Rotterdam did not
include rail service until some point between 1860 and 1865.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, from Rotterdam rail service to Amsterdam
was in place from the late 1840’s<sup>7</sup>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_CXKGWNQw2y9AmLRDPx-tNMXQlhhF-C-epdsAzzCTAKoeP0MhYQOJ0auMeoIgIbgZ6e5wMU8N9YigvEFn8I_cd6qu3o9Q8D61VkHY21_hatqNcizhdbGo86TvnigdmiS-9AzqhDDcr0X_So6BtD87WPU0Hhi36SvOju8vsYL003laD-erKR0flCQe2x_/s1481/BL22_toNeth40ct.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="884" data-original-width="1481" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_CXKGWNQw2y9AmLRDPx-tNMXQlhhF-C-epdsAzzCTAKoeP0MhYQOJ0auMeoIgIbgZ6e5wMU8N9YigvEFn8I_cd6qu3o9Q8D61VkHY21_hatqNcizhdbGo86TvnigdmiS-9AzqhDDcr0X_So6BtD87WPU0Hhi36SvOju8vsYL003laD-erKR0flCQe2x_/w640-h382/BL22_toNeth40ct.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<p>Shown above is a folded letter from Bruxelles (Brussels), Belgium, in 1861. The first postage rate in our table was in effect and the 40 centimes were paid by the postage stamp at the bottom right. This is just one of many examples of the Luden and van Geuns business correspondence.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDpWYH58geApI8clen4AHvCw5T20b8KLOqvKMZmYQRdp2U4s7n1pIRGiTcG0AJvMENKuGb6ADH-Szgg6ER4_bAp2uhvp4-loqXY6MYQwCma-dcTLc200vX60INTJuiRDg6dgMZaL8htg2jPst9sNlWufTMfq5EvfMEcLvqSFvvjSmbRSTUnI2jTSzA_st/s1467/BL6_tonetherlands.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1467" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDpWYH58geApI8clen4AHvCw5T20b8KLOqvKMZmYQRdp2U4s7n1pIRGiTcG0AJvMENKuGb6ADH-Szgg6ER4_bAp2uhvp4-loqXY6MYQwCma-dcTLc200vX60INTJuiRDg6dgMZaL8htg2jPst9sNlWufTMfq5EvfMEcLvqSFvvjSmbRSTUnI2jTSzA_st/w640-h392/BL6_tonetherlands.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<p>This folded letter exhibits a proper single rate (or simple) letter - 20 cents per 10
grams - under the 1865 postal convention<sup>8</sup>.<span> </span>This letter originated in the Wallonian portion
of Belgium in the city of Charleroi where it took Belgian railways via
Bruxelles (Brussels) on the way to Anvers. <span> </span>The contents show paperwork for a bank
transaction between the Société Anonyme Banque in Charleroi and Luden and van
Geuns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike Luden and van Geuns,<span> t</span>he S.A. Banque in Charleroi relied on a
broader range of “anonymous” investors for its capital.<span> </span>However, it seems that Luden and van Geuns
may have also been in the habit of being an “anonymous” investor for several
other banks throughout Europe and perhaps worldwide.</p>
<p></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Letter mail from Prussia</span></b></p>
<p>Unlike Belgium, Prussia maintained a
distance component in their rates with the Netherlands in addition to a border
mail rate.<span> </span>The 1851 Convention split
Prussia into three rayons (distances or regions) plus a border mail region,
with each having a separate base rate amount.<span>
</span>In addition, the rate progressions were not linear.<span> </span>For example, mail from the Netherlands to the
first rayon of Prussia would cost 10 cents for the first 15 grams and 25 cents
for an item over 15 grams up to 30 grams.<span>
</span>As of January 1, 1864, when the 1863 convention was placed in force, there
were only two rayons as well as a border mail rate and the rate structure was
greatly simplified<sup>9</sup>.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The mail route to Amsterdam from Prussia was entirely by rail once the final section was opened between Arnhem
(Holland) and Emmerich (Prussia) in 1856<sup>7</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Prussian line to Emmerich connected with
the rest of the Prussian system between Duisburg and Essen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rail lines between Arnhem and Amsterdam
had been in place since the mid-1840’s, but mail had to get to Arnhem using
carriage transportation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidr0_pJ3S5uKyzykU45zrEy4Ia3d6kDmknOLiL1b_lGcDfi29IGDXkBhxmgHLqZ3UziFgTZ2pQD28XCdrx-kQUSxYS70W2ss-v1Ln-30-rEAnqAeQ97_-n8iYXm6-EvY2RZzGGgSWJdUfRvJUYyO5aUOZmTz22-agYSfgvJyzalrVuSVXLpeqLyo9JoRFP/s1599/prussiatoneth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="1599" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidr0_pJ3S5uKyzykU45zrEy4Ia3d6kDmknOLiL1b_lGcDfi29IGDXkBhxmgHLqZ3UziFgTZ2pQD28XCdrx-kQUSxYS70W2ss-v1Ln-30-rEAnqAeQ97_-n8iYXm6-EvY2RZzGGgSWJdUfRvJUYyO5aUOZmTz22-agYSfgvJyzalrVuSVXLpeqLyo9JoRFP/w640-h386/prussiatoneth.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<p></p>
<p>Illustrated above is a folded letter showing the 2 silbergroschen rate per loth (about 15 grams) for an item
originating in the first rayon of Prussia to Amsterdam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barmen is located on a rail line East of
Dusseldorf, where it turned North towards Emmerich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike many items in the Luden and van Geuns correspondence, there are no contents or indications on the folded
cover sheet as to the sender or the purpose of this mailing. But, because it is part of the correspondence, it's a good guess that it held some sort of business transaction.<br /></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Evolution
of French/Dutch letter mail rates</span></b></p>
<p>The mail exchanged between the Netherlands
and France provides an interesting case study in that it shows a transition from
neighboring state status to a situation where mail had to transit another
country to reach its destination.<span> </span>The
Postal Convention of September 12, 1817 between the two nations established
five rayons (districts or distances) in the Netherlands.<span> </span>Those closest to the border with France were
in the first rayon and were given the lowest postage rate.<span> </span>Each successive rayon required more postage
for services rendered.<span> </span>At the time of
this convention, both Belgium and Luxembourg were a part of the Netherlands and
in the first or second rayon<sup>10</sup>.</p>
<p></p>
<p>By the time the October 10, 1836 convention
was placed in effect, Belgium was no longer considered a part of the
Netherlands as far as France was concerned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Considering the fact that the Dutch still had not agreed that Belgium
was its own nation at this time, it is interesting that they would actually
negotiate a mail treaty that took this into consideration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This new agreement left only Luxembourg in
the first rayon and the rest of the Netherlands existed in rayons three through
five.<span> </span>Valenciennes (France) and Breda
(Netherlands) were the designated entry/exit points for the mail and served as
the locations for exchange offices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Transit
via Belgium was implied for all mail between the two countries (unless it was
to/from Luxembourg)<sup>11</sup>.</p>
<p></p>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 1.5pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td colspan="3" style="border: medium; padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letter
Rates - France to the Netherlands as of Oct 10, 1836</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Effective
Date</span></i></b></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rate</span></i></b></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unit</span></i></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1st rayon</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">30 centimes</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7.5 grams</span></i></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3rd rayon</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">60 centimes</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7.5 grams</span></i></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4th rayon</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">70 centimes</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7.5 grams</span></i></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5th rayon</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">80 centimes</span></i></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7.5 grams</span></i></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"></p>
<p>The 1851 postal convention between the
Netherlands and France was completed on November 1<sup>st</sup>, ratified the
following January, and enacted on April 1, 1852.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luxembourg was no longer a part of the
Netherlands and the rayon system was removed in favor of a rate based only on a
weight unit rather than the combined weight and distance formula of the prior
conventions.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"> </p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; mso-cellspacing: 1.5pt; mso-table-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-table-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-table-left: center; mso-table-lspace: 9.0pt; mso-table-rspace: 9.0pt; mso-table-top: 16.25pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; text-align: left;">
<tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td colspan="3" style="border: medium; padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letter Rates - France to the Netherlands</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Effective Date</span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rate</span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unit</span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Apr 1,
1852</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">60
centimes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7.5 grams</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Apr 1,
1868</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">40
centimes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10 grams</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jan 1, 1876
(GPU)</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">30
centimes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0.75pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-left: center; mso-element-top: 16.25pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">15 grams</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"> <br /></p>
<p>The first article of the 1851 convention shows the influence of
competing rail carriage lines for the mails by including the possibility of
using Rhenish Prussia as the transit entity between the Netherlands and
France.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mails were to be transferred
between the two countries once per day via Belgium, which was considered to be
the primary mail route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Prussian
route was to be used when its use was considered to be “advantageous.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This might well be the case for destinations
in northern Holland (such as Amsterdam) or for mail received too late for the
mail train that ran through Belgium<sup>12</sup>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: left;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEm3FWvYpJsyW3XtVjigfqSzJbazLMsUADit-_quIdSd1x-LtqF15N6cjfcmsb8ppiJn6hicISYi9J-6w70BPJFbflxqRRlFqfydosL__Kxu2Ldb-Hdl-Oa3rMUW-kogLAaPkm7x5-1qmNbuXtb1-LMIHyxoXbqlOthkrXhtLflEtYH5YwdLupoKQbcf0j/s656/Figure%205.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="656" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEm3FWvYpJsyW3XtVjigfqSzJbazLMsUADit-_quIdSd1x-LtqF15N6cjfcmsb8ppiJn6hicISYi9J-6w70BPJFbflxqRRlFqfydosL__Kxu2Ldb-Hdl-Oa3rMUW-kogLAaPkm7x5-1qmNbuXtb1-LMIHyxoXbqlOthkrXhtLflEtYH5YwdLupoKQbcf0j/w640-h190/Figure%205.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Article I of the 1851 Postal Convention between France and the Netherlands<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;">The Belgian route left France at
Valenciennes, traveled through Anvers (Antwerp) and entered the Netherlands at
Rosendaal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Prussian transit most
likely started at the French/Prussian border at Forbach and entered Holland at
Emmerich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A third option could use both
Belgian and Prussian transit services by sending mail to Brussels and then east
to Aachen and onward to Emmerich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
convention itself did not specify these Prussian routes, leaving it to the
postal services of the participating nations to determine best protocols.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As railway services expanded, options for
mail exchange could be added by mutual agreement of the postal authorities in
each nation.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPZiUhU8lrCv-IMOaJnUfKK7N2PJw-IoKpCfH_tfDVup3mG5qjec4fNDtNYGD_8R6Bv0WN4mqUySyAWInNYxHQ2sv9iWbtebUzsJ4B0nOnXoiOnwW6pZup7GKRmO0fTrXZMIuEcQHD0CXJ9rGVBAbCnD_2dxetS8wRId6biDNI6sEk_2Jn7EMWF7cOcaX/s1592/Figure%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1592" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPZiUhU8lrCv-IMOaJnUfKK7N2PJw-IoKpCfH_tfDVup3mG5qjec4fNDtNYGD_8R6Bv0WN4mqUySyAWInNYxHQ2sv9iWbtebUzsJ4B0nOnXoiOnwW6pZup7GKRmO0fTrXZMIuEcQHD0CXJ9rGVBAbCnD_2dxetS8wRId6biDNI6sEk_2Jn7EMWF7cOcaX/w640-h420/Figure%206.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The very first item at the beginning of this blog is an example of letter mail from France to the Netherlands at the 60 centime rate. Shown above is another lettersheet mailed in 1867 from Reims, France. The letter took the railway that ran from Givet to Paris in France on May 7 and the letter arrived the next day in Amsterdam.<br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"></p>
<p>Reims is in northeastern France and would
normally use the crossing at Givet for mail destined to Belgium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, mails to Holland were not made up to
take this rail crossing, so this simple letter was taken back to Paris before being placed on a mail train to transit
Belgium via Valenciennes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;">This routing is
supported by the Givet A Paris marking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Typically the departure station of an ambulant marking is listed first
and the arrival station second<sup>13</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus, this item was sent on the mail train heading towards Paris where
the mailbag for Dutch mail via Belgium departed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no proof on this cover that the
Belgian route was taken, but the best ‘rule of thumb’ is to select the primary
route unless evidence can be found to prove otherwise.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"> </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCXjE5YUFyhvOQ-phpjXB6RrWhQPSkejAWc3Jsl74ebpPUhOSxDZv9mo3i_uNDNq-YaRnwoAlIBsbLe4ZEquBvOi-n7jTPF6oyso9oqYpSisoPBdwO0-y6SpbDvX3P7-I7HXQmPfqZk4C0gk-VaBHGb2IUksS5WDZ49wxjJ7oWLjHN135j5DZ6dvgj0iW/s1126/Figure%209.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1126" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCXjE5YUFyhvOQ-phpjXB6RrWhQPSkejAWc3Jsl74ebpPUhOSxDZv9mo3i_uNDNq-YaRnwoAlIBsbLe4ZEquBvOi-n7jTPF6oyso9oqYpSisoPBdwO0-y6SpbDvX3P7-I7HXQmPfqZk4C0gk-VaBHGb2IUksS5WDZ49wxjJ7oWLjHN135j5DZ6dvgj0iW/w640-h410/Figure%209.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Articles IV of the 1868 Postal Convention between the Netherlands and France<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"></p>
<p>There was one more postal agreement reached
between these two nations prior to the General Postal Union.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1868 convention does much more to spell
out the use of the corresponding postal systems for mail transiting each
country for destinations other than France or the Netherlands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, for the purposes of this article, the
primary change is the reduction in the postal rates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only was the cost per unit reduced, but
the weight per unit was also increased.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;">The fourth article of this convention clearly outlines how the postage was
to be divided between the countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
second column holds the postage due per letter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The third column shows the amount owed to the Netherlands by France and
the final column shows the reverse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Prepaid letter mail is showed in rows one and two and unpaid mail in
rows three and four<sup>14</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
prepaid letter from France cost 40 centimes per 10 grams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of those 40 centimes, 13 and 1/3 centimes were
to be passed to Holland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Implicit in
this table was the 3 and 1/3 centimes that France would pay to Belgium for mail
transit per letter.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SihrqbxdpbhU3nMnws429GdF3QWciXa7ylI5SIgfU6qDXE5O3t9qpRsjZNgH_7qXGuijOh9veJBTTZQya-7mIUIdSpwcMtoDW1SzJG-0e4jSKoD_wH9iTBdxuWscJYyAluJdY5G6L4nWMfRUj0-356sZuVEkCNAvl_3vIdQqd_mFtCoq2PJqKWsH0OwY/s1621/Figure%2010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1621" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SihrqbxdpbhU3nMnws429GdF3QWciXa7ylI5SIgfU6qDXE5O3t9qpRsjZNgH_7qXGuijOh9veJBTTZQya-7mIUIdSpwcMtoDW1SzJG-0e4jSKoD_wH9iTBdxuWscJYyAluJdY5G6L4nWMfRUj0-356sZuVEkCNAvl_3vIdQqd_mFtCoq2PJqKWsH0OwY/w640-h422/Figure%2010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double weight letter from Paris in 1868<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p><span>Most conventions
during this period included instructions for marking items as paid so that
receiving postal administrations might know whether an item would require the
collection of postage at the destination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The red, boxed PD serves that purpose on this double rate cover to
Amsterdam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many conventions also indicated
that there should be markings to show multiple rates and/or credit and debit
amounts between postal services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reverse
of this item shows what might be a “2” in blue crayon which could indicate a
double letter rate or it may have another purpose unknown to me.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">So, you all know the drill by now! If you know the answer, let me know and I can share it in a later Postal History Sunday! <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7D19BX7IoCcUMzMerlBvbcVADX-yU4uJ2XSZ3D3ruyRPHNaSM4HgxI9JWytkr71-TGH4qRPn2ANCP3QhV4IM-KxHyGreLqqAd0Fh_mS5d1EuFKuxqlogbIHqeDUCfRErb_VzFqgz00h_GEtMl_dpTDJ82IpGMN8n3VFo-Afj53S1y_r3URR8WbrIO7v6/s1511/FR52_toNetherlandstriple.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1511" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7D19BX7IoCcUMzMerlBvbcVADX-yU4uJ2XSZ3D3ruyRPHNaSM4HgxI9JWytkr71-TGH4qRPn2ANCP3QhV4IM-KxHyGreLqqAd0Fh_mS5d1EuFKuxqlogbIHqeDUCfRErb_VzFqgz00h_GEtMl_dpTDJ82IpGMN8n3VFo-Afj53S1y_r3URR8WbrIO7v6/w640-h394/FR52_toNetherlandstriple.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triple weight letter from Paris in 1870<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span>The “Place de la Bourse” in Paris was located in
the 2<sup>nd</sup> Arrondissement, one of twenty sections of the
city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This area was a significant
banking and business center</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> and t</span><span lang="X-NONE" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: X-NONE; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">he </span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">“</span><span lang="X-NONE" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: X-NONE; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">bourse</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">”</span><span lang="X-NONE" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: X-NONE; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> referenced the stock trading area known as the Palais Brongniart.</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The triple letter rate cover shown here includes a bank statement for
a French bank where Luden and van Goens had clearly placed funds and were
receiving returns on matured investments. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Mail originating with Thurn and Taxis mail services </span><br /></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoK7giagIixv4osJ2Q336G45XaJPejoDX4ZMC901tVZLMDEgiSn9Ga0679iSL5xENSwgdJ_Bl7psr379AxHcGaKrY0K4EauRwSHFOZTHKRK1LHNodk5oBDO0RrUHyjULOy4yle65-gKco/s1552/thurntoneth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1552" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoK7giagIixv4osJ2Q336G45XaJPejoDX4ZMC901tVZLMDEgiSn9Ga0679iSL5xENSwgdJ_Bl7psr379AxHcGaKrY0K4EauRwSHFOZTHKRK1LHNodk5oBDO0RrUHyjULOy4yle65-gKco/w640-h397/thurntoneth.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Here is a folded letter mailed in September of 1861 to le Haag (the Hague) in Holland. <br /></p><p>The Thurn and Taxis post did NOT have a
specific agreement with the Netherlands. Instead, they used their
membership in the GAPU (German Austrian Postal Union) to take advantage of the agreement the collective
membership had with Holland, effective April 1, 1851 and ending
December 31, 1863.</p><p>Just as was the case for the Prussian letter, both weight AND distance went into figuring out the postage
required to send a letter between the two entities. </p><p>As a reminder, the agreement
divided the GAPU area into three parts, with the region closest to the
Netherlands having the least expensive postage and the areas further
from the shared border paying more. It also divided the Netherlands
into two parts. Each of these regions are typically referred to as a "<b>rayon</b>."<br /></p><p><b>GAPU rayons:</b></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>up to 10 meilen - 1 sgr or 3 kr</li><li>over 10, up to 20 - 2 sgr or 6 kr</li><li>over 20 meilen - 3 sgr or 9 kr <br /></li></ul><p>Mainz was over 20 meilen from the border, so that cost <b>9 kreuzer</b> in postage.</p><p><b>Netherlands rayons:</b></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>up to 10 meilen from the border - 1 silbergroschen OR 4 kreuzer</li><li>over 10 meilen - 2 sgr or 7 kr</li></ul><p>The Hague was over 10 meilen from the border, so that cost <b>7 kreuzer</b> in postage.</p><p>When we add these two costs together it brings us to <b>16 kreuzer </b>to send a letter from Mainz to the Hague in 1861. <br /></p><p>You can actually see the calculation by the Thurn and Taxis postal clerk at the bottom left in red ink. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITmPr93yJfAw1B7FI4CHeolCfPv19lLswiuI484EjqilFWDuRDJUriaxmYTdTyxYPju2rq1cssdAIrzJSTiYRWdDXnJp-HppsQPvLmIf11H099CEsXtnPVQ-MnaWEzn-HGAEfKhLm-9k/s514/ttcalculationmarks.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="514" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITmPr93yJfAw1B7FI4CHeolCfPv19lLswiuI484EjqilFWDuRDJUriaxmYTdTyxYPju2rq1cssdAIrzJSTiYRWdDXnJp-HppsQPvLmIf11H099CEsXtnPVQ-MnaWEzn-HGAEfKhLm-9k/s320/ttcalculationmarks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9 / 7 / 2 in red, W in blue<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The
"2" in red is the equivalent 2 silbergroschen to be paid to the
Netherlands for their share of the postage. The southern
German districts worked in kreuzers and the northern in silbergroschen. The
northern districts bordered with the Netherlands, so they would actually
be responsible for getting the proper amount of money to Holland.</p><p>The
blue "W" was added by a Prussian postal clerk which stood for the word
"weiterfranko," which loosely translates to "continue franking." In
other words, "forward this amount of postage" to the next postal
service. It was a way to clearly indicate that they were responsible
for getting the 2 sgr to the Dutch post. And... if you should happen to
care, this was equivalent to ten Dutch cents.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx9Wcjn8TS_2Wf1UA77jQm3LfqniMjIFwjQ_uM2IHx2l6wbbNGAwi7zKxCHOVC6GDCwbMyLp2P5VmDAdBhopg8Kmvdgyig1cYDzXBQDkq3hLBS6be9plc9opdBsq3IjjdNIOpaD2p0cA2rlHxDRBrEC_EaJBBEJBt5KEvB1P_0LnyF6TPong=s1543" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1543" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx9Wcjn8TS_2Wf1UA77jQm3LfqniMjIFwjQ_uM2IHx2l6wbbNGAwi7zKxCHOVC6GDCwbMyLp2P5VmDAdBhopg8Kmvdgyig1cYDzXBQDkq3hLBS6be9plc9opdBsq3IjjdNIOpaD2p0cA2rlHxDRBrEC_EaJBBEJBt5KEvB1P_0LnyF6TPong=w640-h432" width="640" /></a></div><p>The
folded letter shown above was mailed in 1866 from a location south of
Frankfurt A Main - an area that also relied on the mail services provided by
Thurn and Taxis. The letter shows postage stamps
indicating the payment of 24 kreuzers to provide all that was needed for
this letter to Amsterdam. This postage rate was calculated using a new rate structure that was effective in January, 1864 - so it is different from the prior letter. <br /></p><p>The
letter was a double weight letter and of the 24 kreuzers in postage,
the equivalent of 8 kreuzers was passed to the Dutch postal service to
cover their portion of the expenses. The postage breakdown is shown by
the inked "16/8" just to the left of the town name "Amsterdam."</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Letter mail from Austria</span></b></p>
<p>The German-Austrian Postal Union (GAPU)
insured that rates between Austria and the Netherlands were the equivalent of
the most distant rayon in the Prussian rate structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1851 convention between Holland and
Prussia maintained the non-linear rate structure effective until the end of
1863.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The new postal convention,
effective at the beginning of 1864, between the GAPU and the Netherlands placed
Austria in the second rayon with a flat rate per 15 grams (or loth) <sup>15</sup>.</p>
<p>The Austro-Prussian War of 1866, also known
as the Seven-Weeks War (June-August 1866) disrupted mail services to and from
Austria during the conflict and for some time after. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mail to and from the Netherlands during the
war was required to go via France.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the
conflict, Austria remained a part of the GAPU afterward and new rates applied
on October 1 of 1868 removed the rayon system entirely.</p>
<p>The German railway systems efficiently
moved mail from Austria to the Dutch mail entry point at Arnhem via Emmerich,
but the Austrian lines were a bit more limited, with most mail entering Bavaria
via Vienna and Linz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mail originating in northern
Austria would typically go through Prague and enter Saxony near Dresden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mail from the Tyrol area of Austria could
enter Bavaria near Innsbruck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
once the Brenner Pass was open to rail traffic in 1867, this routing could be
selected in southern regions of Austria versus routing through Wien (Vienna)
depending on mail train schedules<sup>16</sup>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZhCPDQ8-zkBNueVHiz2ARnosOrwNVYddUYVIDT1Z2lvL8TVkVZ22-tH1DtDLNrg-Sj8PqiElIYIj4hyphenhyphenuazJrsbBfIsjR3JyEyWXfcFoqYyqbtw11VPNlMwmA42QmSXInnAPZhlkVqQpC_PQvBoEZGtIUMegDaOw1FYeNCeuajz2pE5FS1C-YqqokAuRU/s1629/AU6_toNetherlands.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="1629" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZhCPDQ8-zkBNueVHiz2ARnosOrwNVYddUYVIDT1Z2lvL8TVkVZ22-tH1DtDLNrg-Sj8PqiElIYIj4hyphenhyphenuazJrsbBfIsjR3JyEyWXfcFoqYyqbtw11VPNlMwmA42QmSXInnAPZhlkVqQpC_PQvBoEZGtIUMegDaOw1FYeNCeuajz2pE5FS1C-YqqokAuRU/w640-h448/AU6_toNetherlands.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Letter from Trieste, major port city on the Adriatic Ocean in 1871.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"> <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;">This letter to Luden and van Geuns was sent by Bideleux and Company
in Trieste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bideleux and Co are listed as
bankers in the 1874 Bankers Almanac and in the 1871 edition of Dempsey’s “<i>Universal Hand Gazetteer and Route Book</i>.”<sup>17</sup><span> </span>This business letter most likely went northeast to Vienna
via the train that took the Semmering Pass and then headed west to
Bavaria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 10 kreuzer rate per loth (15 grams) was split
between Austria and Germany with 4 kreuzer (equivalent to 1 silbergroschen)
being passed to Germany so it could pay the Netherlands its portion of the
postage. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Austria retained the remaining
6 kreuzer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This rate was effective
beginning October
1, 1868 and lasted until June 30, 1875.</p>
<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Did you make it this far?<br /></span></b></p><p>This Postal History Sunday was a bit more highly populated with details than many. But, I think it makes the point well that the simple act of one business saving old business letters provided me (well over a century later) with material that motivated me to do a great deal of learning!</p><p>For my part, it is interesting to note that I have not found much more than two Luden and van Geuns letters in one place. So, it's not like I found a pile of them somewhere so I could study them. Instead, the correspondence is spread out in collections all over the globe now. I can't anticipate when next I will see a new one, nor can I predict where it might be from!</p><p>Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope you have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come. <br /></p>
<p> <b><span style="font-size: large;">Resources</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1.</i>
Schukkenbroek, J., “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Trying Out: An
Anatomy of Dutch Whaling and Seeling in the Nineteenth Century: 1815-1885</i>,”
Amsterdam University Press, 2008.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.</span></i><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Zijpp, Nanne van der. "Geuns,
van, family." <i>Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online</i>.
1956. Web. 12 Jan 2019. </span><a href="http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Geuns,_van,_family&oldid=141131"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Geuns,_van,_family&oldid=141131</span></a><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">3.</i>
4Ice Productions, “Firma G.Nolthenius & Luden & van Geuns,” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank</i>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Web. Jan 6 2019.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">4.</i>
Bankers Almanac for 1874, American Banknote Company, 1874.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">5.</i>
Jonker, J & Sluyterman, K, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Home
on the World Markets: Dutch International Trading Companies form the 16<sup>th</sup>
Century until the Present</i>,” Sde Uitgevrs, The Hague, 2000.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">6</i>.
ibid.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">7</i>.
Veenendaal, A.J., “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Railways in the
Netherlands: A Brief History, 1834-1994</i>,” Stanford University Press,
Stanford, CA, 2001.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">8</i>.
Deneumostier, E. & Deneumostier, M., “Les Tarifs Postaux Service
Internationaux 1849-1875,” Yvoz-Ramet, Brussels, 1987.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">9</span></i><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">. Lagemans, E.G., "Recueil des Traites et
Conventions Conclus par le Royaume des Pays-Bas," vol V & VI,
Belinfonte Freres, La Haye, 1873 </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">10</span></i><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">. Bourgouin, J., “Les Tarifs Postaux Francais:
Entre 1848 et 1916,” Web. 12 Jan 2019. </span><a href="http://jean-louis.bourgouin.pagesperso-orange.fr/Tarifs%20Postaux.htm">http://jean-louis.bourgouin.pagesperso-orange.fr/Tarifs%20Postaux.htm</a>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">11.</i>
DeClercq, M., “Recueil des Traites de la France,” Vol 6, Paris, 1866.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">12</i>.
ibid, pp 117-125.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">13</i>.
Lesgor, Raoul, "<i><span style="color: black;">The cancellations on French
stamps of the classic issues, 1849-1876", </span></i><span style="color: black;">Nassau Stamp Co, NY, 1948.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">14</i>.
DeClercq, M., “Recueil des Traites de la France,” Vol 5, Paris, 1880.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">15</span></i><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">. Neumann, L. & de Plason, A., “Recueil des
Traites et Conventions Conclus par l’Autriche, vol 1, Vienna, 1877.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">16</i>.
Fetridge, W.P., “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harper’s Handbook for
Travellers in Europe and the East, Vol 1</i>,” Harper and Brothers, New York,
1879.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin: 1pt 0in 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">17</i>.
Dempsey, J.M. and Hughes, W. eds., “Our Ocean Highways: A Condensed Universal
Gazetteer and International Route Book,” Edward Stanford, London, 1871.</p><p></p><p>Some of this material was originally explored in an article published in the February, 2019, <a href="https://americanphilateliccongress.org/publications/postal-history-journal/" target="_blank">Postal History Journal</a>, Issue No. 172. <br /></p><p>------------</p><p></p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.</p><p></p><p></p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-73422849489274534072023-10-15T05:30:00.413-05:002023-11-02T09:55:32.288-05:00Humbug - Postal History Sunday<p>It's just an envelope. Not only is it just an envelope, it's an
envelope that has already performed its duties in this world. It no
longer carries any contents. And how could it? The back has a big
slice in it that would make it all the more difficult for it to contain
whatever a person might want it to hold. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggn6rm8veSCjxSutMTHx6MxTPAnEjGuvIHr9hlErclU3tHxfJJCCtCAsc7dP1roeO00lZNFajrJFYaxArqye24QLZ4WW96AQcbHJwRuYI48DnxbtBd0Z5tUBiUor1Gr4YJoiU2uxzYNAnb2Bo_n7VmuA-sYqWrrxiCOxWc04hhzK_n5JJxysBMEq2mQBeG/s1679/deadletterhumbug.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1679" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggn6rm8veSCjxSutMTHx6MxTPAnEjGuvIHr9hlErclU3tHxfJJCCtCAsc7dP1roeO00lZNFajrJFYaxArqye24QLZ4WW96AQcbHJwRuYI48DnxbtBd0Z5tUBiUor1Gr4YJoiU2uxzYNAnb2Bo_n7VmuA-sYqWrrxiCOxWc04hhzK_n5JJxysBMEq2mQBeG/w640-h366/deadletterhumbug.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I
suppose it has the redeeming feature that it is old. A little over 158
years old, in fact. And, humans are kind of odd about the age of
things. First, an item is new and we are most pleased to have it.
Then, the item sees a little use and it becomes "old and used" and we
don't want it anymore - or at least we want something newer or unused.
Then, after a certain number of years - if that item has somehow
survived the world - it becomes desirable once again.<p></p><p>That's
how it is with so many pieces of postal history. Because they are seen
as windows into a past that is now old enough to be the attractive sort
of "old," a torn envelope once again gets our attention. But, why this
one? There must be hundreds and probably thousands of old envelopes
from the 1860s that carried simple letters from one location to another
in the United States for the cost of the 3 cent postage stamp found on
them.</p><p>And in fact, that is a true statement. It is one of
thousands in that respect. But, unlike many of those old envelopes and
folded letters, this one has more clues that hint at a story more
interesting than most.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">A dead letter</span></b></p><p>This
letter was initially mailed at West Dedham, Massachusetts, on January 3
and is addressed to a Jas. (James) E. Dunnell in Utica, New York. The
contents must not have weighed anything more than one half ounce because
the three cent stamp paid for a simple letter to a destination within
the United States.</p><p>However, James Dunnell never did get this letter, instead the envelope and its contents took a trip to the Dead Letter Office.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXvLKbPJta1ROIhpy0bfIrUuv-bdkvVhIcw_sZfWEnG9RgT026_HrNQJqmqulGxLKunx0qaOAwijkTqK0Oj6y-5L5lO51vVFUyOBad_D3-FY2xT3TNc6DxjKBRlUuAzKPGKhG03fTDkMZn2KbvU-KKHnmtfKINjnsx5UNc-FZIH19WzS3FwslrnjIXKaF/s331/dlomarking1865.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="331" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXvLKbPJta1ROIhpy0bfIrUuv-bdkvVhIcw_sZfWEnG9RgT026_HrNQJqmqulGxLKunx0qaOAwijkTqK0Oj6y-5L5lO51vVFUyOBad_D3-FY2xT3TNc6DxjKBRlUuAzKPGKhG03fTDkMZn2KbvU-KKHnmtfKINjnsx5UNc-FZIH19WzS3FwslrnjIXKaF/s320/dlomarking1865.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>The
marking towards the bottom of the envelope reads "U.S.D.L.O. Jan 31
1865." The abbreviation stands for United States Dead Letter Office,
which was located in Washington, D.C.</p><p>The US Post Office actually split Dead Letters into five categories:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Letters that remained at the post office <i><b>unclaimed</b></i> (typically after one month).</li><li>Letters that were deemed <i><b>unmailable</b></i> because the address could not be deciphered, was incomplete or the content was deemed to be "obscene."</li><li>Letters where no attempt to pay postage was made (or someone tried to re-use a postage stamp). These were classified as <i><b>held for postage</b></i>.</li><li>Packages over 4 pounds in weight</li><li>Letters <b>refused</b> at the post office by the recipient.<br /></li></ol><p>The
Utica post office was probably small enough that they would typically
send a bundle of dead letters to Washington, D.C. once a month -
typically towards the first of each month. So, a receiving marking of
January 31, 1865 seems to fit the pattern.</p><p>The Utica postmaster
was supposed to classify each item being sent to the DLO under one of
these categories by writing on the front of the letter.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Humbug</span></b></p><p>Of
course, not everyone follows instructions. So, I was not too surprised
that I couldn't find any of the words I highlighted above: unclaimed,
unmailable, held for postage or refused. And, this clearly wasn't a
package that weighed more than 4 pounds - so it wasn't that. We can
also remove "held for postage" from the option list because it appears
to be properly paid.</p><p>So, this item was either unclaimed, unmailable or refused by the addressee.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcR6Y_nR04onLDHuwmzyqXtknmWSnA03EmimqTDafwfA7yx2oxAEO8kUA4N56Z3INFIbshLpmrXQDAv199bVm6sXcjhHFXCOVO-vpcs8Oqf3bC5VPEuX4mEAXcL-uF3f_H9S7Gi46HT9Js4-D3MU15Qg5ilwDHMdWscbHzx1wVmaUEBTjXrZPuGSjktmI/s439/humbug.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="439" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcR6Y_nR04onLDHuwmzyqXtknmWSnA03EmimqTDafwfA7yx2oxAEO8kUA4N56Z3INFIbshLpmrXQDAv199bVm6sXcjhHFXCOVO-vpcs8Oqf3bC5VPEuX4mEAXcL-uF3f_H9S7Gi46HT9Js4-D3MU15Qg5ilwDHMdWscbHzx1wVmaUEBTjXrZPuGSjktmI/w400-h201/humbug.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Instead, the postmaster in Utica wrote this word on the front of the envelope.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Humbug</span></b></p><p>The word "humbug" <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/humbug-definition-1773291" target="_blank">first appeared in dictionaries</a>
in 1798 and it described a deception imposed upon another person. In
fact, humbug was pretty commonly used in the United States, including
with respect to the secession of the states that formed the
Confederate States of America.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZ0St2F08z-Lvi9A_lFPBOQuM3zzMEQeoNDJsyWCiR3jUj4BfOaivH6DorsuZ-huTEkEFcboo9RNE2iC74s586scojglxNBCwVfVJKIBfDGfJ8df8OucumgVXrSb4a3ouasAnRUkKLZ45bBiM7siPfEHXOVMoI_e3f_z7-fXBboZVmp2rUyHy0e6fuh0S/s908/secessionistmovement.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="908" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZ0St2F08z-Lvi9A_lFPBOQuM3zzMEQeoNDJsyWCiR3jUj4BfOaivH6DorsuZ-huTEkEFcboo9RNE2iC74s586scojglxNBCwVfVJKIBfDGfJ8df8OucumgVXrSb4a3ouasAnRUkKLZ45bBiM7siPfEHXOVMoI_e3f_z7-fXBboZVmp2rUyHy0e6fuh0S/w640-h446/secessionistmovement.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/pga.05004/?st=image" target="_blank">Library of Congress</a>, Currier & Ives print circa 1861<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The
whole concept of a humbug becomes very clear when you view the image.
The very pretty idea of secession floats over the edge of the cliff,
promising one thing - while the reality of plunging to the breakers of
the ocean awaits those who fall for the humbug.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGETzXUYP1XNV46YNXRImFFdiXEpHbG2kjcxrwCdMoDG_HGOjK-dhtzOnZqitHTSv58f-2nYYlafdGzzVnVHNbFcI1ch4yj0Et1VCUJtf917CK5aVBGG90_gOm0qO24WB75k0BB9gwpCTPlB7oUjt21KKrou3VDnUJLSsjwOqf5uMvVJLcvKb3ZLB99PD/s143/secessionhumbug.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="109" data-original-width="143" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGETzXUYP1XNV46YNXRImFFdiXEpHbG2kjcxrwCdMoDG_HGOjK-dhtzOnZqitHTSv58f-2nYYlafdGzzVnVHNbFcI1ch4yj0Et1VCUJtf917CK5aVBGG90_gOm0qO24WB75k0BB9gwpCTPlB7oUjt21KKrou3VDnUJLSsjwOqf5uMvVJLcvKb3ZLB99PD/w400-h305/secessionhumbug.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>On
a less grand scale, humbug was often a reference to a person who
represented themselves as someone they were not - often in an effort to
defraud others. The image shown below depicts a person making a claim
to be able to raise the devil. While they do so, to the amazement of
the targeted individual, an assistant deftly removes valuables from the
target's pocket.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWh7osqDFrP_8YVLICfyQFF2OOxvFyL2biwqBdCHmDoxz14npwNjxWsWdMJzzJlsdoHllmY9E_4u3_FS6LcDNUSlgAZCHpGUfd_UzO90WFZ3JV_YzUt4LrTj5MEuATSE5FIIGXmqk0sdZPFxuRTQFdZz71Dvmz4Od8CYyKh-mzfPtZKv-Ve5q7AtMf3iQ-/s3600/Magic_vs_Science.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3025" data-original-width="3600" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWh7osqDFrP_8YVLICfyQFF2OOxvFyL2biwqBdCHmDoxz14npwNjxWsWdMJzzJlsdoHllmY9E_4u3_FS6LcDNUSlgAZCHpGUfd_UzO90WFZ3JV_YzUt4LrTj5MEuATSE5FIIGXmqk0sdZPFxuRTQFdZz71Dvmz4Od8CYyKh-mzfPtZKv-Ve5q7AtMf3iQ-/w640-h538/Magic_vs_Science.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Rowlandson, ca 1800, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbug#/media/File:Magic_vs_Science.jpg" target="_blank">public domain on wikimedia</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>And,
of course, you can always remember Scrooge and his "Bah, humbug!" It
was simply his way of making a claim that the festivities and
celebration of Christmas were just a big hoax. <br /></p><p>So,
apparently, the postmaster felt that James Dunnell was a humbug of some
sort. But that still leaves it up to our interpretation as to how they
actually classified this item. Was it unclaimed, unmailable or refused?</p><p>We
can almost certainly say the letter was not refused, so it was either
unclaimed (because Dunnell had skipped town) or deemed unmailable
because the postmaster was already aware that Dunnell was running some
sort of scam through the mail. </p><p>However, the law frowned mightily
on postal employees who withheld the mail from an addressee, no matter
how much they might know about their humbuggery. So, it is fairly
likely that this was essentially an "unclaimed" letter after it was held
at the Utica post office for the required time period. But, if the
Utica postmaster wanted to call attention to Dunnell, they could have
bundled it up with the unmailable items and sent it on to the Dead Letter Office. </p><p>In any event, the postmaster was not allowed to open the letter - that was for those in the Dead Letter Office to do. <br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Fraud and the US Mail</span></b></p><p>Perhaps,
it might seem that I took a bit of a jump in logic that Mr. Dunnell was
a fraudster perpetuating a humbug on the public. After all, I've only
given you the word "humbug" on an envelope to back it up. So, I offer
this as well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UOZwZphJ4XDpr4D4uPRnQv69I9bq5xeibQzhs6uyqIlUq5fSKnHHRcJ6aUIiYOdnif1XKKYsDHOtH_l_uQrEZX4UZ-W0vpi1d_lK_D1wdHCIX5EwzRq-7uHi_fsx-a9h6IE_U8uDqbLWVsw87UsxeZ4zdairDWaIYFMByRf9roTNhC-7tD7MS5oXD8zb/s307/deadlettertendollars.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="307" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UOZwZphJ4XDpr4D4uPRnQv69I9bq5xeibQzhs6uyqIlUq5fSKnHHRcJ6aUIiYOdnif1XKKYsDHOtH_l_uQrEZX4UZ-W0vpi1d_lK_D1wdHCIX5EwzRq-7uHi_fsx-a9h6IE_U8uDqbLWVsw87UsxeZ4zdairDWaIYFMByRf9roTNhC-7tD7MS5oXD8zb/s1600/deadlettertendollars.png" width="307" /></a></div><p>One
of the duties of the Dead Letter Office was to identify valuable
contents and see if they could determine who had sent them so it could
be returned. It was quite common to send cash through the mail at the
time and, sure enough, there is a note that, when it was opened at the
DLO, it was found to contain ten dollars in cash.</p><p>In fact, this
amount is also written on the back of the envelope. I am guessing that
the letters that precede could be the initials of the DLO employee who
processed the letter.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdeEB4Qyyhc8MvnvveNgMQUeBgoON3WRiVCTkMA9NEAX5Cpewb-zLo1oIJaplevYkpheDH2pBVS5Z9hyphenhyphen4nlZiFO0pXmRfsYXD4aAukNFh2cZuuz4h2KwjuyHM4M2ULd6rQ6lFgVZ3HaQ2zEfo4d9SLt0EfOnDDqAKYZWavEAgYzzoPhfnL1Eri_FNkeV0/s754/dlotendollarsback.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="754" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdeEB4Qyyhc8MvnvveNgMQUeBgoON3WRiVCTkMA9NEAX5Cpewb-zLo1oIJaplevYkpheDH2pBVS5Z9hyphenhyphen4nlZiFO0pXmRfsYXD4aAukNFh2cZuuz4h2KwjuyHM4M2ULd6rQ6lFgVZ3HaQ2zEfo4d9SLt0EfOnDDqAKYZWavEAgYzzoPhfnL1Eri_FNkeV0/s320/dlotendollarsback.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>With
the increase in use of the mail, came an increase in scams and, well,
humbugs. Popular humbugs included highly touted (but unlikely) <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/07/for-what-ails-you-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">medical cures</a>
and illegal lotteries. Since lotteries were banned in most states in
the 1860s, it would be normal for a person wishing to participate in one
to send money via the mail. How hard would it be for a person to send
out a mailing using special <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2022/06/in-news-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">printed matter</a>
rates advertising a lottery at the cost of one dollar per entry? It
wouldn't take much to pocket the money and run. After all, most people
lose the lottery - so who's going to follow up? </p><p>Lotteries were a good opportunity to be a long-term humbug, as we can see if we look at the <a href="https://64parishes.org/entry/louisiana-lottery" target="_blank">Louisiana Lottery</a>
that started in 1868 and lasted until 1893. While this lottery did pay
some money out, they certainly were not above bribery to get officials
to look the other way if they were less than above-board. And, of
course, they did what they could to stack the odds. If there were
unsold tickets, they still put them into the lottery. And, if one of
those were pulled as a winner, the money would go to (or stay with) the
Louisiana Lottery itself.</p><p>If you're wondering why so many people
were willing to be taken by scams and humbugs such as these, all you
need do is read the short story by Anton Chekhov titled <a href="https://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lottery.html" target="_blank">the Lottery Ticket</a>. The hope and dreams that come with the possibility of winning, no matter how remote, is difficult to deny.<br /></p><p>By the time we get to the mid 1860s, mail fraud was a big enough deal that legislation was offered in 1866 and <a href="https://www.uspis.gov/history-spotlight/history-of-the-mail-fraud-statute" target="_blank">enacted in 1868</a>. It became illegal "to
deposit in a post office to be sent by mail, any letters or circulars
concerning lotteries, so-called gift concerts, or similar enterprises
offering prizes of any pretext whatsoever." </p><p>But, postal
employees were still more concerned about avoiding any delay of mail
delivery because an 1836 law set harsh penalties for a postal service
employee that hindered the progress of the mail. It was not until 1872
that the law was modified to make the mailing of matter that was
intended to defraud a misdemeanor.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dead Letter Office at work</span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2876GdZWb589Svv7Jyd_dApDtIaRTMcz3r_J8hGMYRNmDijdX_FSmfuo_PyeiiIsHLBomcx87I1yFJrwqsma2bXUCIHOhCkpqytPmsy9h8cqi81zDrY9uOQFGdc5N1MqhPMuJ3xJ9hhNbh3jKnj5Y0d2EBxM-E0BFZRwvcSS9itWvOFUUrcZ_bKsgXjA/s1024/deadletteroffice1868.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="705" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2876GdZWb589Svv7Jyd_dApDtIaRTMcz3r_J8hGMYRNmDijdX_FSmfuo_PyeiiIsHLBomcx87I1yFJrwqsma2bXUCIHOhCkpqytPmsy9h8cqi81zDrY9uOQFGdc5N1MqhPMuJ3xJ9hhNbh3jKnj5Y0d2EBxM-E0BFZRwvcSS9itWvOFUUrcZ_bKsgXjA/w440-h640/deadletteroffice1868.jpg" width="440" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harper's Weekly Feb 22, 1868 - <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/ds.14168/" target="_blank">Library of Congress</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The
Dead Letter Office was the last chance for an item to either find its
way to the intended destination or to be returned to the writer, along
with potentially valuable contents. The first step was to do what was
called a <a href="https://international.thenewslens.com/article/30102" target="_blank">"blind read"</a>
where workers would attempt to make sense of the address and addressee
without opening the item. If that step failed, the item was opened in
an attempt to either decipher the intended recipient or return it to the
writer. This process was remarkably well done, with over 40% of the
items finding their way out of the DLO to a proper home.</p><p>However,
most items with no value that could not be returned or delivered were
fated to be destroyed. Items with value, on the other hand were <a href="https://commonplace.online/article/dead-letters-by-a-resurrectionist/" target="_blank">authorized to be auctioned off</a>,
according to Sec 391 of the 1866 Regulations of the Postal Department.
A few interesting or unique items were maintained in a makeshift museum
kept at the DLO and was of great interest to the general public.</p><p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhQzvF1jNXciYK67EvgIzAF-rB4yQoTnDZrIpdl97guVlOAiQGp8rrG2-J-NbcLIrL3lxfQ0tOyzM0khWAstD823ZS9hIblv5wTVoFv4XMpMUgHtkSltdjSu8QwGIseJCK50ZETexVkxGBpDs9syXDcvnK3lOzSrb0W5JV4LiNbjfFXdJhWGraEp_B8AT/s250/Dead%20Letter%20sale.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="250" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhQzvF1jNXciYK67EvgIzAF-rB4yQoTnDZrIpdl97guVlOAiQGp8rrG2-J-NbcLIrL3lxfQ0tOyzM0khWAstD823ZS9hIblv5wTVoFv4XMpMUgHtkSltdjSu8QwGIseJCK50ZETexVkxGBpDs9syXDcvnK3lOzSrb0W5JV4LiNbjfFXdJhWGraEp_B8AT/w400-h309/Dead%20Letter%20sale.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washington Post, Dec 1, 1882 (page 4)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>During
the Civil War, for example, numerous young men went to war and arranged
to have their photographs taken with the intent of sending them to
loved ones. Unfortunately, many had never sent a letter before and
their effort to provide legible and <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24865697?typeAccessWorkflow=login" target="_blank">clear addresses often failed</a>.
Many of these photos were posted in the post office lobby (see the
video below) in an effort to help people find photos of those they
knew. In fact, many of these photos <a href="https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/head-tilting-history/lost-mail-dead-letter-office-photos" target="_blank">were not destroyed</a>
during the normal time period out of a sense of patriotism and efforts
to find relatives and loved ones to take the photos went on for some
time.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QmErum7EzyA" width="320" youtube-src-id="QmErum7EzyA"></iframe></div><p></p><p>To
give you an idea as to the scale, the Report of the Postmaster General
for 1864 indicated that 10,918 dead letters containing daguerreotypes or
photographs were processed (page 17 of the report). Most of these were
"sent by soldiers or their correspondents." The report for 1868 showed
a dramatic increase to 125,221 dead letters with similar class items
(photos), but they were clearly not for the same reasons (soldiers
serving in the Civil War). It simply is an example of how the volume of
the mail (and the possibility for items to need the services of the
DLO) was expanding.<br /></p><p>If you would like to read a little bit more about the Dead Letter Office, I found <a href="https://philatelythings.wordpress.com/2020/11/27/mysteries-of-the-dead-letter-office/" target="_blank">this blog entry</a> on the philatelythings site to be enjoyable.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">File under "D"</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgkv72pZFWI9z7xf-1_IC7KpeKijVOmawzFCJXwyXDLzVquHgAM-zUa8Gy8CSUXbt6-KeskCar-KR8BSHqlk6UI8wsOTruXWGqIr135qNfVqowaUH6CwPuC8_CK45_Qt5JXsxWndjNa787dE3nqj4SRoP4-DdKT01c-AGfEtOkThhxGThlwA3XFNbEDZF/s544/deadletterfiling.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="544" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgkv72pZFWI9z7xf-1_IC7KpeKijVOmawzFCJXwyXDLzVquHgAM-zUa8Gy8CSUXbt6-KeskCar-KR8BSHqlk6UI8wsOTruXWGqIr135qNfVqowaUH6CwPuC8_CK45_Qt5JXsxWndjNa787dE3nqj4SRoP4-DdKT01c-AGfEtOkThhxGThlwA3XFNbEDZF/w400-h169/deadletterfiling.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Perhaps
you noticed the hand-stamped letter "D," followed by a series of
numbers at the top left of the envelope. Well, there needed to be some
sort of filing system, given the volume of mail being processed at the
Dead Letter Office. The first letter of the last name of the recipient
was typically used - so the "D" of "Dunnell" provided this particular
letter with it's initial file letter. I have no idea how the rest of
the numbering system was supposed to work. So, if someone happens to
know, let me know and I'll share it later.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">So, what was Dunnell up to?</span></b><br /></p><p>I
was hopeful, of course, that I might be able to dig up some sort of
clues as to what James Dunnell might have been doing that would cause
the Utica postmaster to declare him a "humbug." Like today, there
certainly was no shortage of cons and scams that a person might
perpetrate on others. Unfortunately, even after digging for a while in
the <a href="https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=cl&cl=CL1&sp=udo&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN----------" target="_blank">Utica newspapers</a> from that time period, I came up with nothing.<br /></p><p>This
is where I ask for help! If you are reading this and you think you have
a lead that can help me find out what Mr. Dunnell's humbug was, please
let me know!</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">This letter was a success for the DLO</span></b></p><p>Clearly,
this particular letter was successfully delivered, probably to the
writer who sent it to Utica in the first place. We know this because if
it had not been delivered, the envelope would have been destroyed by
the Dead Letter Office.</p><p>Humbug averted... until another unlikely prospect turned their eye. Or we can hope they learned their lesson.<br /></p><p></p><p>------------</p><p>Thank you for joining me today! Have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-29910333920405171322023-10-08T05:30:00.219-05:002023-10-08T05:30:00.152-05:00Turn, Turn, Turn - Postal History Sunday<p>We are looking at our first Fall frost at the Genuine Faux Farm, which means we're working a bit of extra time outside to try and get harvests in and things taken care of before that frost hits. That means time to write Postal History Sunday is limited and I will fall back on taking an older PHS (published almost three years ago) and update it this week!</p><p>After all, there is no such thing as good writing - but there is good re-writing! <br /></p><p>Now, take
those troubles and worries and put them in the middle of a book you
know has a dull spot in the story line. Yeah, find page 212, don't you always skip over that? This, of course, assumes you are like me and you re-read books you have read before because you don't have time or energy to invest in a new one. If you are the sort to re-read books, you know the rules are different - read the parts you want and skip page 212 if you want.</p><p>Now that your troubles are there, you have even more motivation to skip that portion.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1hJflLfZ5EWUntSjUeCU2opOErS686aWszUDYfDCWtOTCcFWXwpAbUenWAeWiqMpAmY-syORmTnCHHFH18DLfchcupaMY0I-sCDaERWXsL89AQxwTa-iU63N8Vcvq2yweHzuR7LetsQ/s2048/turnedcover1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1403" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1hJflLfZ5EWUntSjUeCU2opOErS686aWszUDYfDCWtOTCcFWXwpAbUenWAeWiqMpAmY-syORmTnCHHFH18DLfchcupaMY0I-sCDaERWXsL89AQxwTa-iU63N8Vcvq2yweHzuR7LetsQ/w438-h640/turnedcover1.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Two Addresses, Two Stamps, Two Postmarks?</span></b></span></p><p>So, we'll start this week
with an item that was sent in 1865 from Etna, New York to Dryden,
New York to Edward Welsh. If you look on the lower half of the
folded letter you will see the very light Etna postmark dated April 7,
1865. There is a 2 cent stamp depicting Andrew Jackson that paid the 2
cent fee for an unsealed circular. </p><p>A circular is a type of printed matter where similar content was sent out to multiple addresses. In other words, it was a type of bulk mailing that qualified for a discounted rate of postage. In order to qualify for the discounted postage, the content had be unsealed (or easily opened) so postal clerks could check to be sure there were no personal messages included with the circular itself that would disqualify the item for the special rate.</p><p>In this case, the content is preprinted with the exception of a few details entered by hand that were allowed by the postal regulations at the time. * <br /></p><p></p><p></p><p><i>*for further discussion - see addendum at end of this blog</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnqYIg2oCGZC_asyULbquEcnUUBQpzpGGrvQ6fRzEgQ7DRPSPHbIi_hKTsZWWooFzKFBHgqle4rN9h5arN4_IX2T37cWVoW2uaN-Il_tBLBUCvscnpzjw06sXHZWjpqUT4-z6gajsC28/s2048/turnedcover1content.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="2048" height="509" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnqYIg2oCGZC_asyULbquEcnUUBQpzpGGrvQ6fRzEgQ7DRPSPHbIi_hKTsZWWooFzKFBHgqle4rN9h5arN4_IX2T37cWVoW2uaN-Il_tBLBUCvscnpzjw06sXHZWjpqUT4-z6gajsC28/w640-h509/turnedcover1content.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The
curious thing about the item? Well, there happens to be ANOTHER 2 cent
stamp paying the 2 cent circular rate where Mr. Welsh mailed the item
from Dryden on April 10 back to the Town Clerk at Etna. To avoid
confusion, he crossed out his name and address. <br /></p><p>So,
what was Mr. Welsh returning to Etna? </p><p>This is a signature confirmation
form where Mr. Welsh was accepting the position of "Overseer of
Highways for District No. 143." Postal laws of the time allowed for
such signature confirmations to be an unsealed circular, even though
there was additional hand writing on the printed matter. The
handwriting only consisted of signatures, a date and a district number.
There was no personal message included, which would have disqualified
it for the special rate.</p><p>Now, if the Town Clerk had written "Hey Ed! How are the wife and kids?" That would have required the letter rate (3 cents) for this item, whether it was unsealed or not. And, if Ed had replied with "Doing just fine thanks!" He would have had to also pay three cents.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">What was an Overseer of Highways? </span></b><br /></p><p>Overseers of highways, whether they were turnpikes or publicly
funded roadways, were often farmers who contracted to maintain a
section of road near their farm. There would be several such positions for the public roads in any given
township. It was not required that they personally had to perform the maintenance. However, having known many farmers in my life, many would scoff at the idea of sub-contracting to someone else.</p><p>Early in the history of the United States, roads were largely created by the towns, cities and, sometimes, states, as public works. In New York, eligible men were <a href="https://eh.net/encyclopedia/turnpikes-and-toll-roads-in-nineteenth-century-america/" target="_blank">required to do roadwork three days</a> of the year, or pay to get out of doing it. </p><p>In the last 1700s and early 1800s private enterprise was the big driver for road development. Turnpikes, or toll roads, were developed - often with investments by local businesses and community members. The principle of a turnpike was that a private company would seek investors to fund the building of the road and the tolls would then keep the company running as it oversaw the maintenance of those roads.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUmu0aGsBIOHJyhjXumYaiWYJoaGq-GCRdmK0_naVZcGQ-qQbed9zZbynsvR0fzEb6fg5thBk1C0YLcVmr81nQGZy4soJa4nxCUgAiJ1expgNnO7hfw_BHW2vCQHJ_yjNXplcByogqR9nR6y4uGDnaRfs1aU41lH4lvcBIlUCCOM5BuggevNjRKCePFLm/s608/tollhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="608" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUmu0aGsBIOHJyhjXumYaiWYJoaGq-GCRdmK0_naVZcGQ-qQbed9zZbynsvR0fzEb6fg5thBk1C0YLcVmr81nQGZy4soJa4nxCUgAiJ1expgNnO7hfw_BHW2vCQHJ_yjNXplcByogqR9nR6y4uGDnaRfs1aU41lH4lvcBIlUCCOM5BuggevNjRKCePFLm/w640-h422/tollhouse.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toll gate in Albany, NY for the Great Western Turnpike<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>By the time we
reach 1865, when this circular was first sent out, the development and upkeep of turnpikes were on the
decline. Many of these toll roads, like the <a href="https://alcue.wordpress.com/2017/07/13/the-end-of-the-great-western-turnpike/" target="_blank">Great Western Turnpike,</a> were losing money with the development of railroads and canals that provided better services (and received more government support). In many cases, including the Great Western, the road was passed back to the public domain - to be maintained once again by state and local governments.</p><p>There was certainly some pushback from some of the locals who were not fond of the idea of paying tolls. Some who lived in the area of a turnpike would use alternative routes to avoid the toll road. These routes were often referred to as "shunpikes." I realize you probably didn't need to know this, but isn't your life just that much richer for knowing it?</p><p>If we bring this back to our piece of postal history, there were a couple of attempts to build turnpikes through Dryden. One in 1836 (the Norwich and Ithaca
Turnpike) and another in 1816 (the Homer and Genoa Turnpike). It is
unclear to me if either were completed or active to Etna, nor is it clear to me if they were still active in the area in 1865. </p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Concept of a "Turned" Cover</span></b></span></p><p>Each
of the items I am showing today are examples of what a postal historian
would call a "turned cover." The concept is pretty simple. An item
was mailed with an initial address and then the same letter or envelope
was modified to allow for it to be sent on to a different address. </p><p>What
we see next is actually an envelope that was unsealed completely and
then refolded and re-glued. The original postal address and stamp were
on the INSIDE of the envelope and the second use was on the outside. An
astute collector noticed this and slit the sides open so a person could
easily see each side.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1TcU1fD-UHZTY6fAgZB6-i1wr6SSRB-8bEVZIvVPTs7kqhWVRMDPEvzQ0vM2_9nNiXD-vx7q__YmaBSJONtVZzXFKw8XGII68TtZ4eBhIRlkCbatYwOF5CSGAJ1ixZtdokMRiyz6vPc/s2048/turnedcover2side1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1739" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1TcU1fD-UHZTY6fAgZB6-i1wr6SSRB-8bEVZIvVPTs7kqhWVRMDPEvzQ0vM2_9nNiXD-vx7q__YmaBSJONtVZzXFKw8XGII68TtZ4eBhIRlkCbatYwOF5CSGAJ1ixZtdokMRiyz6vPc/w544-h640/turnedcover2side1.jpg" width="544" /></a></div><p></p><p>This envelope was clearly started out as another unsealed
circular (2 cent rate) mailed from Trenton, New Jersey, on May 22, 1868
and received, apparently, the next day at Brandon, Vermont. The printed
corner card (that's the red ink printing at the upper right) is for
John A. Roebling in Trenton. It turns out that this was a company (<a href="https://ellarslie.org/john-a-roebling-sons-company/" target="_blank">John A Roebling & Sons</a>)
that made wire rope which could be used as part of the construction of suspension
bridges. This company made the cables for the George Washington Bridge
connecting New York and New Jersey and the Golden Gate Bridge in San
Francisco.</p><p>The <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2021/01/tell-em-where-to-go-postal-history.html" target="_blank">docketing</a> (sideways handwriting on this cover) may pertain to some sort of business dealing by the addressee E.D. Selden of Brandon, but I cannot be certain.<br /></p><p>Selden
must not have been a wasteful sort, because when they needed an
envelope, they deconstructed this one and essentially folded it inside
out, re-gluing it and remailing it with a 3 cent stamp for the letter
rate. It was sent on to M.F. Blake Esq. of South Barton, Vermont. The
"Esq." typically indicates that the addressee advertised that they were in the legal profession in the US.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaU2MOXdR4dzSsFTgFMpSb_0iLL9dGcAJF9PxB0P1lDkntsju6jbQQbQrY_pGzVxgQdaMafthO0kvMRBJCTqf_MG9vG7M4GsF3Gtv5YUdO8zLzi4naWkJ9ouxW-cAQzoeV5vZUg6G4Kk/s2048/turnedcover2side2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1691" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaU2MOXdR4dzSsFTgFMpSb_0iLL9dGcAJF9PxB0P1lDkntsju6jbQQbQrY_pGzVxgQdaMafthO0kvMRBJCTqf_MG9vG7M4GsF3Gtv5YUdO8zLzi4naWkJ9ouxW-cAQzoeV5vZUg6G4Kk/w528-h640/turnedcover2side2.jpg" width="528" /></a> <br /></div><p></p><p>According to the <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=yX4-GrX4DV0C&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dq=E.D.+Selden+Brandon,+VT+1868&source=bl&ots=8x_LS5jj1Z&sig=ACfU3U3Trc-pErwrdg0gdZzDDCsgtWmYpA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqn_29k53vAhXMPM0KHRr_BekQ6AEwA3oECAUQAw#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">History of Rutland County, Vermont, Vol 1</a>,
E.D. Selden had been the owner of the Selden Quarry (1849-1864). But,
we cannot be sure if this was E.D. Selden after he sold the quarry or if
this is one of Selden's offspring with the same initials.<br /></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Turned Covers Aren't Always Neatly Opened</span></b></span></p><p>As
you can imagine, not every piece of postal history comes out of the
process of doing its job (carrying the mail) unscathed! How often have
you opened mail, only to tear it into a an unsightly mess? After all,
you aren't thinking that someone might like to collect that useless
envelope in the future, right?</p><p>Now, imagine that the envelope
served its duty by carrying mail once, was deconstructed, folded inside
out, reconstructed and mailed again - only to have someone violently
open it that second time around! That envelope might look a bit like
this one does:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienzUkgjZiJgRb9rPgO9qNt1E1gPfTUS1bvsdEa5b0oYnQNDXrQxAh7Wxtq9Y1RQ9QOC6MM0igejatWWzkpd1ZjnGSDOxyinStWGExc5ncvWSduV9Kh1iyf3KaoMOYFoVGV8_oovamiQA/s2048/turnedcover3side1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1554" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienzUkgjZiJgRb9rPgO9qNt1E1gPfTUS1bvsdEa5b0oYnQNDXrQxAh7Wxtq9Y1RQ9QOC6MM0igejatWWzkpd1ZjnGSDOxyinStWGExc5ncvWSduV9Kh1iyf3KaoMOYFoVGV8_oovamiQA/w486-h640/turnedcover3side1.jpg" width="486" /></a></div><p>Here
we have another unsealed circular mailed from an unknown location to
Front Royal, Virginia. The year is likely after the Civil War and I
would place it between 1866 and 1869. The envelope was repurposed and
mailed by Thomas W Ashby, Esq at the 3 cent letter rate, being sent from
Front Royal to Pattonsburg (VA). There is likely enough information
here to learn more about the correspondents, but that may be for another
day.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6jA2V7FZShbZ1vpEJJUlPxypgBghlo-qaBfhQZ_6jiMEp3b4a0RFfEjiCKgDCHrlhkNwd7bp1hA9zcC67X0bUT3sq1BH05uCrm6eDdOdDpIg9wYo0b7_7oUmhnMOIOyakQ2-zQ1Li18/s2048/turnedcover3side2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6jA2V7FZShbZ1vpEJJUlPxypgBghlo-qaBfhQZ_6jiMEp3b4a0RFfEjiCKgDCHrlhkNwd7bp1hA9zcC67X0bUT3sq1BH05uCrm6eDdOdDpIg9wYo0b7_7oUmhnMOIOyakQ2-zQ1Li18/w480-h640/turnedcover3side2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p><br /><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Paper Scarcity and Paper in Transition</span></b></span></p><p>One
of the themes you might notice here is that the first mailing of a
re-used (or turned) item was typically a printed matter item (an
unsealed circular). A printed matter item was typically mass-produced
and several were sent out at one time to various addresses, accounting for the discounted
postage rates enjoyed.</p><p>And, yes, in case you were wondering - this is what we often refer to as "junk mail." <br /></p><p>So, suppose you are Mrs.
Eleanor Boles of Mooreland, Ohio, and you receive this nice, big envelope
from some company mailing a circular to you advertising their wares.
You might not be interested in what they have to offer, but you can
certainly use that nice, big envelope! <br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9tluLgqEvEjrO7qP0lNBN4QKcnY0B-S5AbPCC82q5dlHn72PTxl3xIhaQZDQ5hN-9ObKygtZ63mEIBtn830hOlOTGV2fdaQCGWD1GubG6sdfCVbL42Ma689vKxmNfD8oxJeFqXeIax0/s2048/turnedcover4side2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1406" data-original-width="2048" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9tluLgqEvEjrO7qP0lNBN4QKcnY0B-S5AbPCC82q5dlHn72PTxl3xIhaQZDQ5hN-9ObKygtZ63mEIBtn830hOlOTGV2fdaQCGWD1GubG6sdfCVbL42Ma689vKxmNfD8oxJeFqXeIax0/w640-h440/turnedcover4side2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>In
fact, you could mail something that was a bit heavier! Something that
weighed over a half ounce and no more than one ounce. All you need to do is turn the envelope inside out and put six cents
of postage on there to send it to Mr. Andrew Daig in Rochester,
Pennsylvania. </p><p>Hey! Stationery was not something everyone either could afford or was willing to spend money on. It only made sense to make do with what you had on hand! <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGScjT7b2qh-KdXMhyphenhyphen-b0n4y8naicWMRYZt9Q24oYK0zdvLx7RiQPyGOEHn9ptGEtd2_3bMNPU3jg28vH1hw6NNiu-3ZP4A8JB6ITQAVZ3UvgD4Ckk3PPkMsBkPn1Y1D_SEWHdBkqsyLw/s2048/turnedcover4side1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="2048" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGScjT7b2qh-KdXMhyphenhyphen-b0n4y8naicWMRYZt9Q24oYK0zdvLx7RiQPyGOEHn9ptGEtd2_3bMNPU3jg28vH1hw6NNiu-3ZP4A8JB6ITQAVZ3UvgD4Ckk3PPkMsBkPn1Y1D_SEWHdBkqsyLw/w640-h440/turnedcover4side1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br />The <a href="https://scholarworks.uttyler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1014&context=cw_newstopics" target="_blank">shortage of paper in the Southern states</a> during the Civil War is well-known and often written about. In fact, there are numerous examples of envelopes being <a href="http://projects.leadr.msu.edu/usforeignrelations/exhibits/show/progression-in-u-s--foreign-re/economic-interests-in-the-war" target="_blank">made out of wall paper</a> in the South at that time. These, and turned covers, are often referred to as "adversity covers" in that context. </p><p>But,
there was even more at play here. Up until this point, most paper was
made of ragstock (cloth), which was a bit more expensive and becoming
harder to come by. On the other hand, the mid 1800s shows the rapid
growth of the paper industry that used wood pulp as the basis for paper
(the first machine credited to be able to do this was developed in
1844).</p><p>At the same time, postage rates were being decreased by
many nations to support the use of postal services by the general
public. In the United States, the event of the Civil War found more
people desperate to communicate with loved ones separated by conflict.
The demand for paper and envelopes for mail was increasing.</p><p>Then,
you add the normal shortages that happen when there is a conflict and
you either have people unwilling to pay the price for paper products or
people unable to easily get said paper products. Whether it was for the
purpose of scrimping and saving or lack of access, we will never know -
but we still get two stories for the price of one when we find a turned
cover!</p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">More Resources </span></b><br /></p><p>If you would like to read a bit more about the history of paper in the United States, I found this article:</p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="left: 161.833px; top: 278.246px; transform: scaleX(0.814556);"><a href="https://web.nmsu.edu/~rpmellen/Press%20Paper%20Shortages%20and%20Revolution%20in%20Early%20America.pdf" target="_blank">The Press, Paper Shortages, and Revolution</a> in </span><span style="left: 161.833px; top: 313.246px; transform: scaleX(0.84859);">Early America by Roger Mellen</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="left: 161.833px; top: 313.246px; transform: scaleX(0.84859);"><span style="font-size: 16.6667px; left: 307.183px; top: 450.346px; transform: scaleX(0.777801);">Roger Mellen (2015) The Press, Paper Shortages, and Revolution in Early</span><span style="font-size: 16.6667px; left: 161.833px; top: 471.296px; transform: scaleX(0.760357);">America, Media History, 21:1, 23-41, DOI: </span><span style="font-size: 16.6667px; left: 481.183px; top: 471.296px; transform: scaleX(0.88506);">10.1080/13688804.2014.983058</span></span><span style="left: 161.833px; top: 313.246px; transform: scaleX(0.84859);"> </span></span></span><br /></p><p></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">*Addendum</span></b></span></p><p>I did promise, way back towards the beginning of this entry, that I would give more explanation regarding the postal regulations for circulars - so here we go! <br /></p><p>The
United States Postal Act of 1863 (March 3 - effective April 1), set
several new regulations for the carriage of mail in the United States.
Among them was the new definition of mailable matter and
third-class mail. One sub-class of third-class mail was the "transient
circular." These were pre-printed mailings that were not regularly
scheduled as a newspaper or other subscribed material might be. The
rate was 2 cents for up to three circulars to the same address.</p><p>Section 24 of this act reads:</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>Mailable matter, wholly or partly in writing, or so marked <b>as to convey further information than is conveyed in the original print</b>, in case of printed matter, or sent in violation of the law ... shall be subject to letter postage.</i></blockquote> <p></p><p>In
other words, an item would qualify for the reduced postage rates for
printed matter UNLESS additional writing was included that extended the
original message.</p><p>So, a penciled note in the margin that said,
"Doing well at the farm, Martha fell into a well yesterday though,"
would result in the requirement for letter-rate postage. On the other
hand, the pre-printed form shown with the first turned cover was allowed
because only specific filled in details (date, district number and
signatures) were included. All writing was to fulfill the function of
the form and no additional messaging was applied.</p><p>On the other
hand, I am pretty certain that if someone returned a commercial order form with
their order filled in, it would require letter postage. All in all, it
was part of the evolving interpretation by postmasters for what met
requirements and what did not. </p><p>------------</p><p>Thank you for joining me today! Have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-15056436035827448662023-10-01T05:30:00.068-05:002023-10-14T10:51:37.769-05:00Cruising Along - Postal History Sunday<p></p><p>Welcome to Postal History Sunday. This week we're going to spend some time on a couple of the popular cruise ships of the 1930s.</p><p>Take
a moment to make yourself comfortable. Put those troubles away and get
out the deck shoes. If you have trouble with sea sickness, take some <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="hgKElc">dimenhydrinate.</span></span> Maybe we will all learn something new while I share something I enjoy!<br /></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Receiving Mail on the S.S. <i>Rex</i></span></b></span><br /></p><p>Today's
story starts with an envelope sent from the United States in 1935 to a
couple of passengers on the Italian luxury liner named <i>Rex</i>. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0xYnvX8hiS1gmapE_EXr2kKv-QiYEcziewjTrhs6g4FWlfUhv7Y8oLJPq6RzhxT1qU0bWmHjtAeZaOEom9tMzu_V1rKIn-9akB5iPXc_m6sLbDZI0z56WKjncdDYI3SEU-A7Qp34Og8/s1779/parks5cttoItaly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1216" data-original-width="1779" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0xYnvX8hiS1gmapE_EXr2kKv-QiYEcziewjTrhs6g4FWlfUhv7Y8oLJPq6RzhxT1qU0bWmHjtAeZaOEom9tMzu_V1rKIn-9akB5iPXc_m6sLbDZI0z56WKjncdDYI3SEU-A7Qp34Og8/w640-h438/parks5cttoItaly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>At
first glance, this letter is simply a single-weight, surface letter
from Rochester, New York in the United States to Naples (Napoli),
Italy. The rate was five cents for the first ounce (20 grams) in weight
and this rate was in effect from Oct 1, 1907 until Oct 31 1953 - quite a
long time for a postage rate to be effective without an increase.</p><p>At
the time this letter was mailed (July 30, 1935), there were options to
use the new air mail service for part of the journey to Italy at a
higher postage cost, but there was not yet air service to cross the
Atlantic Ocean. But, since there were air mail options, it is important
for a postal historian to note that this was sent by "surface mail" -
as in, it stayed on the surface of the earth, whether it was land or
water.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhew2UDzkVMxUFBRogpytZs6fCbYe_-RThdUIXvzsHFQz29GauIm9UL9I5zO3pa_h3g6Bi7lOKf1zxOE1Q7tAji3Lh-uUo0j7bQMUARaAzG3nSRg4r43hbk7B4mRAyPmURL5O4tFAEL3T0/s459/rexmarking.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="459" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhew2UDzkVMxUFBRogpytZs6fCbYe_-RThdUIXvzsHFQz29GauIm9UL9I5zO3pa_h3g6Bi7lOKf1zxOE1Q7tAji3Lh-uUo0j7bQMUARaAzG3nSRg4r43hbk7B4mRAyPmURL5O4tFAEL3T0/s320/rexmarking.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>There
is a postal arrival marking for Napoli (Naples), for August 11, on the
back of this envelope, but our eyes are drawn to the bold purple marking
on the front of the cover. This is not a postal marking, instead, it
was applied by the Tourism Office (Ufficio Turismo) in Napoli for what
was commonly known as the Italian Line of steamships (Italia Flotte
Ruinite).</p><p>The names on this marking might be a bit confusing
because it is actually a combination of names that came from the origin
of the Italian Line. In 1932, three Italian steamship companies were
merged to create a single, national, steamship line. These three
consisted of Lloyd-Sabaudo (based in Turin), Cosulich STN (based in
Trieste) and Navigazione Generale Italiana (NGI - based in Genoa). So,
the three companies actually make an appearance on this marking (Italia -
Cosulich - Lloyd). The marking was applied on arrival at their offices
and we can assume that the letter was handled by the shipping line for
their passengers from that point on .</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0fLsGpRHAZzGbwiI4ntrChiJUZvG5ySNTiBO_dvaE_0Woxx-sFGSFKJ02LdZme62PFcOnqwtJ9v40FygjKflLwi31UXoZae3if0RXUQG2-MQqrDCmi_QRs1UAqPJ4t_FrdQsca110uY/s768/rex-768x512.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0fLsGpRHAZzGbwiI4ntrChiJUZvG5ySNTiBO_dvaE_0Woxx-sFGSFKJ02LdZme62PFcOnqwtJ9v40FygjKflLwi31UXoZae3if0RXUQG2-MQqrDCmi_QRs1UAqPJ4t_FrdQsca110uY/w640-h426/rex-768x512.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork by <a href="https://www.jamesaflood.com/ss-rex-off-the-coast-of-italy/" target="_blank">James A Flood</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Some
of the motivation for the merger came directly from the Italian
government because, during the 1930s, most national powers touted a
strong shipping line to show their strength. The British had the
combined Cunard - White Star Line and Germany had the HAPAG and North German
Lloyd lines. Now Italy would have a strong steamship line and with that
line would come state of the art ships such as the <i>Rex</i>.</p><p><a href="https://www.italianliners.com/rex-en">The <i>Rex</i></a>
was one of a number of very large, speedy ships that were being
developed in the 1930s, but its true distinction came with the on-board
accommodations which attracted strong attention from customers in the
United States seeking to visit the Mediterranean. The ship boasted not
one, but two swimming pools, a theater and a cinema among other
things. In March of 1933, a radio broadcast from the ship of Schubert's
Ave Maria, sung by <a href="https://operawire.com/artist-profile-rosa-ponselle-one-of-the-great-american-sopranos-of-the-early-20th-centuries/" target="_blank">Rosa Ponselle</a> was heard on both sides of the Atlantic - a first.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YQ24r_jKCHD-c-ebEanNlc8jxCEcP0nqSJ9gW70piZFGjXy1yRsBp882HnewHl4DHLOi_6RMZit2QZqt47ZO0w9EVATUxmKmyNP2tfh3rNC_s4P_S889P6IWdVQoBebWgKdvTavtizs/s1116/RexAug211935map.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1116" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YQ24r_jKCHD-c-ebEanNlc8jxCEcP0nqSJ9gW70piZFGjXy1yRsBp882HnewHl4DHLOi_6RMZit2QZqt47ZO0w9EVATUxmKmyNP2tfh3rNC_s4P_S889P6IWdVQoBebWgKdvTavtizs/w640-h384/RexAug211935map.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map taken from the <a href="https://www.gjenvick.com/OceanTravel/ImmigrantShips/Rex.html" target="_blank">GG Archives</a> for the Aug 21, 1935 sailing of <i>Rex</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The <i>Rex</i>
sailed its western-bound route beginning in Genoa, Italy, and it terminated the
eastern route in Naples (Italy). The terminus in the United States was the
harbor in New York. The Italians held a great deal of pride in this
ship and it secured the <a href="https://www.greatoceanliners.com/blue-riband" target="_blank">Blue Riband of the Atlantic</a> in August of 1933, taking it from the German ship <i>Bremen</i>, that had set the previous speed record for an Atlantic crossing just one month prior.<br /></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of the German Ship <i>Bremen</i></span></b></span></p><p>Well... looky here! Another envelope featuring the <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2021/08/second-childhood-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">National Parks issue</a> stamps I enjoy. And, this one has the words "<i>S/S Bremen</i>" boldly written at the top. I wonder what that could be about?<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF44MxwbylunOo8NYgOf5ujC5paMd3eOKeN1b1gwAg0jQfpRWR9cwYAXYkAc-GHcja4O70ivltLAYxA9eAOkf-PLhnO3WuBOGDsQk5nMh0YTtEBKdVOYC6OmzIVApkr56fKz14SQDS-dE/s2688/finlandssbremen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="2688" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF44MxwbylunOo8NYgOf5ujC5paMd3eOKeN1b1gwAg0jQfpRWR9cwYAXYkAc-GHcja4O70ivltLAYxA9eAOkf-PLhnO3WuBOGDsQk5nMh0YTtEBKdVOYC6OmzIVApkr56fKz14SQDS-dE/w640-h278/finlandssbremen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Here
is a larger envelope that carried some sort of letter mail content from
New York City to Lahti, Finland, in July of 1935 - just 25 days prior to
the first piece of letter mail shown above.<p>There is 24 cents
of postage on this particular item, rather than the 5 cents on the first
one. This was also sent by surface mail (no air mail), so the need
to have more postage had to be for other reasons. First, the letter was
sent as a "registered letter," which cost an additional 15 cents.
Registered mail provided the customer with tracking that was intended to
provide more security that the item would get safely to where it was
going. The fifteen cent registration fee to a foreign destination was
effective from Dec 1, 1925 until Jan 31, 1945.</p><p>The rest of the
postage is mostly accounted for if we consider that this letter was a
"double-weight" letter. It weighed more than one ounce and no more than
two ounces. The first ounce, as we saw with the first letter, cost
five cents in postage. Each additional ounce cost three cents more.
So, the postage needed was eight cents plus fifteen for a registered
letter. Apparently, this item was overpaid by one penny. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwn5X7rwC1bwBeN2vdWjub_6vejRvYp4AiR8R5E5TTEsePUG_XH0iI2011gx-A3yPp-X23ynf6RXfncXYzLHAvcq5J2fGEPgjeEkjbDWRU1cjSxOhj_2WKDTPfIx6gGozGAp4TgtEdguw/s768/bremen-768x512.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwn5X7rwC1bwBeN2vdWjub_6vejRvYp4AiR8R5E5TTEsePUG_XH0iI2011gx-A3yPp-X23ynf6RXfncXYzLHAvcq5J2fGEPgjeEkjbDWRU1cjSxOhj_2WKDTPfIx6gGozGAp4TgtEdguw/w640-h426/bremen-768x512.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork by <a href="https://www.jamesaflood.com/ss-rex-off-the-coast-of-italy/" target="_blank">James A Flood</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>So, this letter was intended to be taken on the <i>Bremen</i>, the same ship that had held the Blue Riband by setting an Atlantic Crossing record in July of 1933 at <a href="https://www.greatoceanliners.com/blue-riband" target="_blank">27.92 knots</a>.
From a practical standpoint, this meant this ship could complete a
round trip on a two week cycle since a one way trip could be completed
in less than five days. And, in fact, the Bremen maintained a schedule
of departing from New York every other Friday. It's sister ship, the <i>Europa</i>, had actually held the Blue Riband pror to the <i>Bremen</i>. That meant a German steamer from the HAPAG/North German Lloyd line could leave port every Friday.</p><p>It
just so happened that July 5 of 1935 was a Friday. So, it might make
sense that the sender of this letter was expecting one of the fastest
steamships of the time to take the letter across the Atlantic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGr7w02YEUDwUgZCzSqx2eWgtRwLhFtyB2F_-n_gZrxg_ZBDsw3cauF2w_YW0OwjCw3P8Yrlm52t7xP7zIfrKLHkQTF71rjNsYbqcNcb3s1kX8L-9d7CvkoFXvjGIy6Jv-oIxoYH84hY/s2675/finlandssbremenback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="2675" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGr7w02YEUDwUgZCzSqx2eWgtRwLhFtyB2F_-n_gZrxg_ZBDsw3cauF2w_YW0OwjCw3P8Yrlm52t7xP7zIfrKLHkQTF71rjNsYbqcNcb3s1kX8L-9d7CvkoFXvjGIy6Jv-oIxoYH84hY/w640-h282/finlandssbremenback.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>And,
yet, we are left to wonder - why did this letter arrive in Lahti,
Finland, on July 20th - fifteen days later. Surely, it did not take ten
more days to get from Bremen or Hamburg to Finland?</p><p>The answer is actually on the front of the cover. The words "<i>S/S Bremen</i>"
have been crossed out. This could be because the letter was received
at the post office too late to be placed in the mailbag for the <i>Bremen</i>
or perhaps, mails for Finland were not to be routed via this ship. I
suspect it was for the second reason because there was no "<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2021/10/too-late-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">too late</a>" marking applied to the letter. But, I cannot prove either reason.<br /></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">The <i>Bremen</i> Incident</span></b></span></p><p>As with the <i>Rex</i>, there are numerous interesting stories that surround the <i>Bremen</i>
during her tenure as one of the finest vessels crossing the Atlantic
Ocean. One particular story occurred just a few weeks after the July
5th departure that this particular letter missed.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4FDUHXvdUcjNUkuC5vU_7rq4Ct0cU1koPTlo_h02jBKj2lqiV49miT8o-ef9TdQgmqNHwAl2KOPtKSKdoKFYb77c4UYzTJm9EQPg-SjsnTmsVaR1kUU_e2bSNNIv-DoNkK_e4W7EqPQ/s853/bremenheadline.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4FDUHXvdUcjNUkuC5vU_7rq4Ct0cU1koPTlo_h02jBKj2lqiV49miT8o-ef9TdQgmqNHwAl2KOPtKSKdoKFYb77c4UYzTJm9EQPg-SjsnTmsVaR1kUU_e2bSNNIv-DoNkK_e4W7EqPQ/s320/bremenheadline.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from this <a href="https://albavolunteer.org/2018/02/who-the-hell-worked-out-a-plan-like-that-new-light-on-the-1935-bremen-riot/" target="_blank">ALBA article</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>German
vessels at this time were flying the German Weimar Republic flag and
the Nazi flag. The presence of the Nazi flag was not welcomed by many
and an incident on July 26, 1935, created an international incident when
the Nazi flag ended up in the water.</p><p>Members of the American
League Against War and Fascism were regularly protesting and handing out
anti-Nazi propaganda to those who sought to board the German luxury
liners. But, after the capture of one of their own and suspected
torture by the Nazis, they decided that a stronger demonstration was
needed. </p><p>It was a regular practice for departing ships to allow
the public on board for a nominal cost prior to departure (ten cents in
this case). This allowed relatives and friends, the press, and, in this
case, persons intent on removing a certain offensive flag, to be on
board until those without tickets were told to leave with the call "<i>all ashore that's going ashore!</i>"</p><p>The first-person account of Bill Bailey, the individual who eventually managed to get the flag down and into the water, can be <a href="https://www.larkspring.com/Kid/Book2/2-14.html" target="_blank">found at this location</a>. </p><blockquote><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I hurdled the last sea breaker and grabbed the first rung on the short ladder
leading to the bowsprit. Pandemonium was all about me as I reached the top.
The Nazi symbol was just a few inches from me. I drew a deep breath. Behind
me I could hear the screams of the passengers, the barking of orders in
German of the captain and the blowing of police whistles as dozens of police
boarded the <i>Bremen</i>."</span></span></blockquote><p>The United
States deflected German claims that their ship had taken injury in an
American port by stating that the Nazi flag was not the official flag of
Germany, but they did issue formal apologies. They found themselves
apologizing yet again when Magistrate Louis Brodsky <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/07/archives/brodsky-releases-5-in-bremen-riot-magistrate-likens-swastika-torn.html" target="_blank">dismissed most of the charges</a> against the "Bremen Six."</p><p>So - if I wrote all of that just because this particular envelop had the words "<i>S/S Bremen</i>" written on it - what would I have done if it had actually been carried on the July 26 sailing on the <i>Bremen</i>?</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bonus Material </span></b><br /></p><p>But, wait! There's more when it comes to this particular letter!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivo09Pb2uBSTv1xX0c1wnHwU25Dgg6QX2yXqPXFcoazO0ueoB4R8ptlDCj00WA5-PcqdOTCrqeta8nftFe4U5VpkjLVWWEwdl2D1whQsxQ_K2iP56-lsFlpDQfoDJ7TRZpHtQrOsggLTw/s2688/finlandssbremen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="2688" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivo09Pb2uBSTv1xX0c1wnHwU25Dgg6QX2yXqPXFcoazO0ueoB4R8ptlDCj00WA5-PcqdOTCrqeta8nftFe4U5VpkjLVWWEwdl2D1whQsxQ_K2iP56-lsFlpDQfoDJ7TRZpHtQrOsggLTw/w400-h174/finlandssbremen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I
did a cursory look at the addessee, Mr. J.G. Sihvola, but I did not
find anything. However, I shared this cover with an online
acquaintance who lives in Lahti and I immediately got confirmation that
this correspondence is fairly well known by postal historians in
Finland. Score one for sharing what we enjoy!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtyyXsGU6_L3DG6GsCk0zIfVFSMUT2LJmvyUDVaAhQ1pjErwKDjZ_PycfA5wA3EWx5fzRw2t7yp43xRY9oFU9lGbKVDzp4_csYKAv_-4R0R2N9mzWRuXB8xGriYNO3gMu-Dp6N_zCfDA/s647/Sihvolafinlegationnewsheader.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="647" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtyyXsGU6_L3DG6GsCk0zIfVFSMUT2LJmvyUDVaAhQ1pjErwKDjZ_PycfA5wA3EWx5fzRw2t7yp43xRY9oFU9lGbKVDzp4_csYKAv_-4R0R2N9mzWRuXB8xGriYNO3gMu-Dp6N_zCfDA/w640-h50/Sihvolafinlegationnewsheader.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17IF4sOU93QHRWpL8XKS-PTTigW1y3SVtTY4W9lTDi6RIOd0hqsetpLbXqhxaDAFzZufPFDR5BJlQitosI2nk7b0yxrZ28MjYdEesZ-CTb6_GNEv4101VirB4r2QNtMLL9G6zdJwllZQ/s330/sihvolafinnishlegation.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="186" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17IF4sOU93QHRWpL8XKS-PTTigW1y3SVtTY4W9lTDi6RIOd0hqsetpLbXqhxaDAFzZufPFDR5BJlQitosI2nk7b0yxrZ28MjYdEesZ-CTb6_GNEv4101VirB4r2QNtMLL9G6zdJwllZQ/w225-h400/sihvolafinnishlegation.PNG" width="225" /></a></div><p>Jorma
Sihvola worked at the Finnish Legation in Washington, D.C. for over ten
years, starting in the 1930s and remaining through World War II. His
correspondence to family in Lahti is typically colorfully adorned with postage stamps, suggesting the
possibility that there was a collector or two in the family, and has
been distributed
to collectors of stamps and postal history over time. </p><p>J.G. and Aino Sihvola
(husband and wife) had a wool clothing factory in Lahti. Their son,
Jorma, had probably not been in the United States for terribly long when he sent this letter.</p><p>Just having a name to refine searches
brought me to an old newspaper where the likely sender of this letter
was featured as a guest for the Singer's Guild in Washington, D.C.
That's one way to add a little color to the story.</p><p>My thanks to Tapio Hakoniemi for pointing me to <a href="https://silo.tips/download/swedish-wartime-undercover-addresses?fbclid=IwAR0xmeGdLsRmFMHD1MxDq-2HOdctWtS0OdPS9e08md3aWjVfxXGKOLhEORc" target="_blank">this article</a>
that features numerous items from the Sihvola correspondence during
World War II,
including a 1944 letter that suggests Jorma Sihvola had been in the
US for a little over ten years. <br /></p><p></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Looking for Examples of Higher Rate Letters</span></b></span></p><p>The
letter to Finland is a pretty good example of a letter that was an
excellent candidate to be heavier than the one ounce limit for a single
weight letter. The difficulty is that, <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2021/07/sneaky-clues-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">unlike some of the early postal history</a> I collect, there aren't many clues to confirm that an item really did require more postage. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFtbhlJTYHGXK-bbo0OjNfjzrq2dJlRF5xr6bZbsrt9pYCblUiNqGEg-gFJkBaDk2oFO54tL6xmft8WaEJ370RRPa0e1CLAcDVDykWOr-VxihlLkUdYzAqn2LDBzIW93AybtDS4yzf-8/s1815/englandimperf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1815" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFtbhlJTYHGXK-bbo0OjNfjzrq2dJlRF5xr6bZbsrt9pYCblUiNqGEg-gFJkBaDk2oFO54tL6xmft8WaEJ370RRPa0e1CLAcDVDykWOr-VxihlLkUdYzAqn2LDBzIW93AybtDS4yzf-8/w640-h390/englandimperf.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Above
is another 1935 letter from Stratford, Connecticut, to England. Twenty
cents of postage are applied to the envelope. The letter is not
registered. There are no markings to tell me it went via air mail.
And, the valid postal rates we might consider for surface mail are:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>5 cents for a letter up to one ounce</li><li>8 cents for 1 to 2 ounces</li><li>11 cents for 2 to 3 ounces</li><li>and from there it would be 14 cents, 17 cents and 20 cents.</li></ul><p>Do
I believe this letter held over five ounces of material? The short
answer is "no." It is not at all uncommon to find letters that were
overpaid simply because the recipient was a stamp collector... or maybe
the sender was the stamp collector and they hoped to see the envelope
again in the future.</p><p>On the other hand, something like this letter
below feels much more likely to be an actual payment of the 8 cent rate
for a letter over one ounce in weight.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4NEcumLpa1GMmSkWJNNgi9ECwcnl7L45K2zGYH2-eVQHcdh2TFSfV0i9QgLPc2GeVd8O8eYWJGqi1ynpQNUVBUf4mKmhJmRzJothWIcljgEPM6-sfmYq-aYtk6O4uh5fm7_U_gfqgN0/s1960/parks2cttoFrance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1960" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4NEcumLpa1GMmSkWJNNgi9ECwcnl7L45K2zGYH2-eVQHcdh2TFSfV0i9QgLPc2GeVd8O8eYWJGqi1ynpQNUVBUf4mKmhJmRzJothWIcljgEPM6-sfmYq-aYtk6O4uh5fm7_U_gfqgN0/w640-h362/parks2cttoFrance.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Is
it still likely a collector was involved? Yes, I think so. But, I
also believe it more likely that it paid a proper 8 cent rate. You
might notice that this item was sent from one person to a relative that
must have been traveling in Europe at this time in 1934. Sure, they
could probably expect the envelope to come back to them if they were a
collector, so why not use interesting stamps? But, why not also put
some extra content in the envelope as well?<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqGUwnLrtRQgzs-QWPFEfxqUT1RFqyLo5Ixt7JyzL1Ti6gqze86XqPX55C7dZLUl0cpho-8sPXgWDY3_rbvm0M4AqaoNQtY9o14Yq0WVuATxmKEIb33oNu60ZdgdKvaRd-orfgP0yKyM/s2048/southafrica.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="2048" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqGUwnLrtRQgzs-QWPFEfxqUT1RFqyLo5Ixt7JyzL1Ti6gqze86XqPX55C7dZLUl0cpho-8sPXgWDY3_rbvm0M4AqaoNQtY9o14Yq0WVuATxmKEIb33oNu60ZdgdKvaRd-orfgP0yKyM/w640-h341/southafrica.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>And
then, there are items like this one. There is ten cents worth of
postage on here, which probably means the individual who sent it thought
the rate was five cents per ounce of weight, so they overpaid by two
cents. </p><p>Can I verify this information? </p><p>Once again, I
cannot prove any of my assertions, but there are signs that might
support my guesses. If a person were going to send a letter that was
solely with the intent of sending some stamps through the mail, they
typically took the time to put things much more neatly on the envelope
(such as the first in this series). And, the postmarks seem to indicate
that the collector wasn't standing over the clerk asking for light
cancellations so the stamps would be "collectible."<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_g9BWSzqKIadKhYfFpTxBm1Vtl72Tae8wrvumv5JH4MtvCk-Epa5ugXSBZNzUxOUGigIOrOFG09dp_s_cuQtisaRFtkydlLphT4RO-HQOyD-JPvL7tloTh0VtmZ8iBZRphZY3QXQpzE/s2048/parks8cttoChina.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_g9BWSzqKIadKhYfFpTxBm1Vtl72Tae8wrvumv5JH4MtvCk-Epa5ugXSBZNzUxOUGigIOrOFG09dp_s_cuQtisaRFtkydlLphT4RO-HQOyD-JPvL7tloTh0VtmZ8iBZRphZY3QXQpzE/w640-h426/parks8cttoChina.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /></div><p>And
then there is this larger envelope. It could clearly handle enough
contents to warrant 17 cents in postage to go along with the 15 cent
registration fee. And, a business address makes it likely that
business correspondence of some sort was included. Is it still possible
that the sender or recipient collected stamps? Sure! That, in itself,
may be the reason this particular item still survives today!</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Travel by Air</span></b></p><p>Everything up to this point has focused on letter
mail that was classified as "surface letter mail." But, air mail was
beginning to make its presence known in the 1930s, so it shouldn't be
surprising that I might show an example of that mode of conveyance here.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26_dVWeui14Y7LERsCyw4Khr3I29Ld_Ybr7RWHMgTjSlRCk9EJZSrAD2ZSXxaTIlh3QkIfOpblQ3sjuITNy4V3WmvM6jGJ6LXpn3JBu8sL9KDq1hBrOMQz6bouAUkm150CygRFpRUzFs/s1942/greeceairsurfaceair.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1942" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26_dVWeui14Y7LERsCyw4Khr3I29Ld_Ybr7RWHMgTjSlRCk9EJZSrAD2ZSXxaTIlh3QkIfOpblQ3sjuITNy4V3WmvM6jGJ6LXpn3JBu8sL9KDq1hBrOMQz6bouAUkm150CygRFpRUzFs/w640-h365/greeceairsurfaceair.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Here
is a letter that actually used the air service in the United States,
crossed the Atlantic on a steamship, and then used air mail in Europe to
get to Athens, Greece in 1935. The cover itself gives me multiple
confirmations that my reading of its travel is correct. A blue label (<i>Par Avion / By Air Mail</i>)
states that air mail is to be used. Red and blue parallelograms around
the edge also indicated to the post office that air services were
desired. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoy78IcMu1bLJpa0Oy8AXNWeip_tlOuOUhClwaNe-qzwAaFTJfPDgu1WoqrVufN4Zmb7GxKS1qIePDcQKji2_RHaGtvzDIkZ9TUPFg7Yn8PImCskk4tC4mlNh4TFQYnTEbMa1i3zeO7Q/s760/greecedocket.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="760" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoy78IcMu1bLJpa0Oy8AXNWeip_tlOuOUhClwaNe-qzwAaFTJfPDgu1WoqrVufN4Zmb7GxKS1qIePDcQKji2_RHaGtvzDIkZ9TUPFg7Yn8PImCskk4tC4mlNh4TFQYnTEbMa1i3zeO7Q/w400-h78/greecedocket.png" width="400" /></a> <br /></div><p>We
also have this docket at the bottom of the envelope that may have been a
directive to simply confirm what the postage was for. It is also
possible this text was added AFTER the letter had gone through the
postal services by a collector. I have no sure way of telling, but air
mail was new enough that some direction in the form of a docket might
have been useful.</p><p>The postage costs for air mail went through a
number of changes in the early years and some of the calculations could
get a bit complex. Happily, this one is not so difficult. We can start
with the fifteen cent fee for a registered letter. That leaves us with
11 cents for the letter mail postage.</p><p>The US required 8 cents in postage for each ounce in weight (<i>Nov 23, 1934 - Jun 20, 1938</i>),
which included postage for the air carriage to the Atlantic port city
as well as the Atlantic crossing on a steamship to England. An
additional 3 cents was added for each half ounce for air carriage in
Europe (<i>Jul 1, 1932 - Apr 27, 1939</i>).</p>Well, I sure am glad
that one added up properly (15 + 8 +3 = 26 cents)! <p></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Epilogue - End of the Line</span></b></span></p><p>Both the <i>Bremen</i> and <i>Rex</i>
reached the end of the line in the 1940s, though only one of the two
was a casualty of war. Oddly enough, the Bremen succumbed to a fire set
by a disgruntled employee while it was at Bremerhaven. </p><blockquote>"The Gestapo initially suspected that British intelligence had a hand in
the destruction of the ship, but before long the investigation fell upon
a 15-year-old deckhand from the Bremen, Walter Schmidt, who eventually
confessed to having set the fire in revenge for a clip on the ear given
him by a supervisor. Wartime justice was swift and severe. Schmidt was
executed." <span style="font-size: x-small;">taken from the <a href="https://www.cruiselinehistory.com/the-s-s-bremen-last-voyage-of-a-luxury-liner/" target="_blank">Cruise Line History site</a>.</span><br /></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjantl33-ZGJ0Sz-XfJ3IpFXD0hbq4lNP63BinJwbegn2qEv-oQfy6VjH8D6FEKrb4bKdJxEh3AQxuDtGNHOGYFt4pab3ep0Vdh2DLUh-jXKMjIiqAYATIAYbRP_TvGQfcI7icuHP3179A/s809/Bremenfire.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="809" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjantl33-ZGJ0Sz-XfJ3IpFXD0hbq4lNP63BinJwbegn2qEv-oQfy6VjH8D6FEKrb4bKdJxEh3AQxuDtGNHOGYFt4pab3ep0Vdh2DLUh-jXKMjIiqAYATIAYbRP_TvGQfcI7icuHP3179A/w640-h424/Bremenfire.PNG" width="640" /></a> <br /></div><p>The <i>Rex</i>,
on the other hand, was laid up for the war in Trieste until the Italian
Armistice on Sep 8, 1943. At that point, the German forces seized the
ship and gutted her of anything of value to them. In September of 1944,
the ship was towed out of port and anchored off the Istrian coast where
it was bombed and sunk by Allied planes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53so3mFjaBj4GRk_cmzjmIyditJAhBMCM8y3rZlQ0PskgC-1HRz5WXBrbzXYEXfsaHeC9B7rCIlQDhnO4ja6MKfbF9YRlJ8OEkGe-BPukclpPbuvSY2f0sLjCfdPEujo1FL-sSlONRGQ/s320/SS_Rex_capsized.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="320" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53so3mFjaBj4GRk_cmzjmIyditJAhBMCM8y3rZlQ0PskgC-1HRz5WXBrbzXYEXfsaHeC9B7rCIlQDhnO4ja6MKfbF9YRlJ8OEkGe-BPukclpPbuvSY2f0sLjCfdPEujo1FL-sSlONRGQ/w640-h434/SS_Rex_capsized.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p>And
thus ended two of the most widely lauded ocean-going vessels of the
1930s. Both fast ships and Blue Riband winners - and neither was on the
move when they met their doom.</p><p>------------</p><p>Thank you for joining me today! Have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-62854018838521233132023-09-24T05:30:00.521-05:002023-09-30T21:12:55.570-05:00Letters Between Switzerland and France - Postal History Sunday<p>Welcome to this week's edition of Postal History Sunday! Before you sit down to read, bury those troubles in the back yard for a time and grab a favorite beverage or snack. If you have some fluffy slippers and you like to wear them, go right ahead, I won't judge if those same slippers have bunny ears attached to them. Let's see if we can learn something new today.</p><p>This week, I am actually responding to a question - sort of. I was asked about some of my strategies for learning about the postal history of letter mail between two countries. It turns out I have five such strategies to share:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Find examples of typical/common mail items between the two countries (scans or the actual items).</li><li>Find resources that describe postal rates, routes and other specifics about the mail for those two countries (both internal and between nations).</li><li>Learn a little bit about the history of that area during that time period. <br /></li><li>Ask questions. </li><li>Try to explain what you think you know to yourself and to a willing audience. <br /></li></ol><p>To illustrate, I thought I would show the results of a project I started in 2018. I was attempting to understand how mail between Switzerland and France worked in the 1860s.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xw_w1ZWnH8vPeZQdPW4eeHoKidLBW7TVr16XphijudOM5B2QiiymsCOKkiXVwkPEbqkBK9n5J6RJKVSxdxmSIdYurJpP207OT9pZPO2mZZythIvJ5lD7FVZgL6V9xZfTHc75Kiqy_d0bDU54ZwOnaE3FYirZU6wlL0AbmgsXh5K4cOPVitKuYoTxZeVO/s1633/SZ28_toFrancedoublestrubel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1633" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xw_w1ZWnH8vPeZQdPW4eeHoKidLBW7TVr16XphijudOM5B2QiiymsCOKkiXVwkPEbqkBK9n5J6RJKVSxdxmSIdYurJpP207OT9pZPO2mZZythIvJ5lD7FVZgL6V9xZfTHc75Kiqy_d0bDU54ZwOnaE3FYirZU6wlL0AbmgsXh5K4cOPVitKuYoTxZeVO/w640-h434/SZ28_toFrancedoublestrubel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Shown above is a folded letter that was sent from Basel, Switzerland, to Paris, France, on May 29, 1860. There are two postage stamps totaling 80 rappen in postage. There is a "P.D." marking that was an indicator by the Swiss postal clerks to the French clerks that this letter's postage was fully paid. The red marking tells us the letter entered the French mails at St Louis on May 30 or 31 (I am not certain which). A postmark on the back of this letter tells us it arrived in Paris on May 31.<p></p><p>When I first noticed this item, it was clear to me that this letter was an overweight letter, weighing more than 7.5 grams. This is indicated both by the amount of postage and the red "2" just under the postage stamps. But the only reason this was perfectly clear was because I had taken time to learn what simple letters from Switzerland to France looked like during that time period. Once I knew what the most common letter mail of the period looked like, I could begin to recognize things that were a bit different too.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Postal agreements between Switzerland and France</span></b></p><p>I admit that I usually prefer to find a couple of inexpensive examples of the area I want to study because it gives me extra motivation to do the research. But that usually happens after I've learned enough to know what is likely to be a typical simple letter (a simple letter is one that only cost a single rate of postage) from one country to another. Once I have a couple of items in hand, I usually have enough desire to hunt down resources that can tell me more.<br /></p><p>Prior to the General Postal Union (which became the Universal Postal Union) in 1875, the mail exchange between two nations was often determined by a postal treaty or agreement between them. I found two such agreements for Switzerland and France that applied during the period I was researching (the 1860s).</p><p>Before I get in too deep, I should point out that Switzerland, as we know it now, was actually several independent cantons until the Swiss Confederation came into being in 1848. It took some time
to develop new postal arrangements with other nations that would apply to all parts of the new confederation, so mail was exchanged with each canton using the agreements they had used before the new agreements were activated.</p><p>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Postal Convention of November 25, 1849</span></b> <br /></p><p>This convention was completed in November, but it was not until April of
the following year that the convention was ratified by both parties. On
first glance, reading the treaty (<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=OdYyAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Recueil+des+Trait%C3%A9s+de+la+France+1849&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjlmYfdxr3aAhWxrFkKHZdMCnIQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q=Recueil%20des%20Trait%C3%A9s%20de%20la%20France%201849&f=false" target="_blank">page 638</a>) in the convention, I find no specific mention of an active date. It may
be there, but I have not found it yet. Other literature suggests a July 1,
1850 date.</p><p>To give you an idea of the flavor of these documents, I grabbed a couple of sections. Let me first tell you that the plot is a little dry and the authors often take the round-about way to get to the point. Oh, and they are in French. That's why I included some interpretation below their text.<br />
<br />
</p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;"><caption><b>Convention of 1849</b></caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Article III</th>
<th>Article V</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__ulHLKcl0peqfszowxQmkRRLh-vduYXqLuTV3Ba3qyjiGHRQ5shHHY1QIth8o16hKPLZzXwhcmygWUq7rsG0yK-DtUvdsApSb1gn6ACtEutULGh9fxpBal6Jmwh6O2JIM1uamM2w8VRP/s1600/swiss-france1849articleIII.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="644" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__ulHLKcl0peqfszowxQmkRRLh-vduYXqLuTV3Ba3qyjiGHRQ5shHHY1QIth8o16hKPLZzXwhcmygWUq7rsG0yK-DtUvdsApSb1gn6ACtEutULGh9fxpBal6Jmwh6O2JIM1uamM2w8VRP/s200/swiss-france1849articleIII.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Article III setting the weight of simple letters (7.5 grams)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></td>
<td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHbuoS3SBWgMREZ8FEeAeDWYl_UUVLITylceNZUGmhl7DacTfAenKV8ynx1ywFM5ZxOLmsWxGbLP3Eub65R3xmkRuSHQikd7EAxemo1spCizyNnzEx6xLJcfl0ADQqDmg71-LI5illRLZ/s1600/swiss-france1849articleV1st.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="641" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHbuoS3SBWgMREZ8FEeAeDWYl_UUVLITylceNZUGmhl7DacTfAenKV8ynx1ywFM5ZxOLmsWxGbLP3Eub65R3xmkRuSHQikd7EAxemo1spCizyNnzEx6xLJcfl0ADQqDmg71-LI5illRLZ/s200/swiss-france1849articleV1st.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First part of Article V setting the postage rate at 40 centimes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Click on the text image to see a larger version.</i></div><p>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Postal Convention of March 22, 1865</span></b> <br /></p><p>This new treaty was ratified in Paris on August 14 of the same year. If a person
reads the first convention and then immediately reads the second
convention (<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=d0dNAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA805&dq=Recueil+des+Trait%C3%A9s+de+la+France+1865&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjChtTi2b3aAhUnuVkKHWrLCfwQ6AEIPzAD#v=onepage&q=Recueil%20des%20Trait%C3%A9s%20de%20la%20France%201865&f=false" target="_blank">page 207</a>), it becomes clear how much more comfortable nations were in
developing postal agreements. </p><p>Well, it becomes clear if you can read some French. Again, this stuff is not light "bed-time" reading. It really helps to have some goal in mind when you start looking. It also helps to find people who have already figured these things out so you can get a boost for your learning.<br />
<br />
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvkGNTHacMr5tf1yX33rSfE4vwHxHCkUm34d8Qxl-68Dv264B0mT2YN7xIGjYam-bJgs7gosja8dkfKtJtVylYB-HDLj2xIYvO8MhyRwZUr4Dhdyj-vCXrqogLq7YSQqKbXj8E5ndVFNa/s1600/swiss-france1865artIII.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="642" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvkGNTHacMr5tf1yX33rSfE4vwHxHCkUm34d8Qxl-68Dv264B0mT2YN7xIGjYam-bJgs7gosja8dkfKtJtVylYB-HDLj2xIYvO8MhyRwZUr4Dhdyj-vCXrqogLq7YSQqKbXj8E5ndVFNa/w400-h124/swiss-france1865artIII.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Article III fixing the new rate of postage and weights.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>
</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Prepaid Letter Rates from Switzerland to France</span></b> <br /></p><p>I will admit that I don't REALLY enjoy reading postal conventions just for the fun of it. What I enjoy is getting the information I need so I can understand how the mail got from here to there. That's why I try to simplify the information so I can more quickly figure a new cover out when I see it.</p><p>What follows below is a table that summarizes the postal rates effective during these two postal conventions.</p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;">
<caption><b>Prepaid Letter Rates - Switzerland to France</b></caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Effective Date</th>
<th>Treaty Rate</th>
<th>Unit</th>
<th>Rate <br />
Range</th>
<th>Border Rate</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>see * about prior rates</td>
<td><br /></td>
<td><br /></td>
<td><br /></td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jul 1, 1850 First Period</td>
<td>40 rappen/centimes</td>
<td>7.5 grams</td>
<td> (a)</td>
<td>10 rappen</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jan 1, 1852 Second Period</td>
<td>40 rappen/centimes</td>
<td>7.5 grams</td>
<td>(b)</td>
<td>15 rappen</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sep 14, 1854 Third Period</td>
<td>40 rappen/centimes</td>
<td>7.5 grams</td>
<td> (c)</td>
<td>15 rappen</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Aug 15, 1859 Fourth Period</td>
<td>40 rappen/centimes</td>
<td>7.5 grams</td>
<td><br /></td>
<td>20 rappen</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Oct 1, 1865</td>
<td>30 centimes</td>
<td>10 grams</td>
<td><br /></td>
<td>20 centimes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jan 1, 1876 (GPU)</td>
<td>30 centimes</td>
<td>15 grams</td>
<td><br /></td>
<td>20 centimes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>May 1, 1878 (UPU)</td>
<td>25 centimes</td>
<td>15 grams</td>
<td><br /></td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Oct 1, 1907 (UPU)</td>
<td>25 ctm / 15 ctm</td>
<td>15 g / add'l 15 g</td>
<td><br /></td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p>
* Switzerland was "unified" in 1848. The 1849 convention is the first
such between France and the new government. Prior to this,
postal agreements depended on the canton.<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>(a) certain rayon combinations qualified for a rate lower than treaty allowed amounts **requires more research** </li><li>(b) as above</li><li>
(c) as above</li></ul><p>
</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>For my purposes, we can ignore all of the stuff that lands prior to August 15, 1859. During that period, the cost of mail from Switzerland to France varied depending on the distance the letter had to travel in Switzerland before it got to the French border. Maybe some day, we'll explore that. But, today is not that day.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">40 centimes per 7.5 grams - Aug 15, 1959 - Sep 30, 1865 </span></b><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4RHOjWPsvvgMptkSuWoO3h39iOodwUezou4y3avOerxMwEyPyNvYOtST5YRsJ8zPHD4WxMewL_2om0w4-oi54dZZa0QyyMQy1w5TrtLiTj3HeriYojs_F5K1QmtjhCdDmf_FzRk8el4yaErkFW0O76kvbD7LI_yoQBlHgw26BTNWCPxeUTTBTCYUC_n-/s1673/SZ22_toFrancePontarlierStrubel.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="1673" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4RHOjWPsvvgMptkSuWoO3h39iOodwUezou4y3avOerxMwEyPyNvYOtST5YRsJ8zPHD4WxMewL_2om0w4-oi54dZZa0QyyMQy1w5TrtLiTj3HeriYojs_F5K1QmtjhCdDmf_FzRk8el4yaErkFW0O76kvbD7LI_yoQBlHgw26BTNWCPxeUTTBTCYUC_n-/w640-h386/SZ22_toFrancePontarlierStrubel.tif" width="640" /></a></div><br />So, here we are. A typical simple letter mailed in Switzerland to France. There is a green 40 rappen stamp that pays the postage for a letter to France that weighed no more than 7.5 grams. There is a postmark in black ink that tells us where the letter originated (Fluerier, Switzerland). There is a red postmark that tells us where it entered the French mails (Pontarlier). And, there is a marking that tells postal clerks down the line that the postage is fully paid (P.D.).<p></p><p>I also am guessing that a few of you are staying "Wait a minute there Rob! You tell us the postage rate is 40 centimes per 7.5 grams and then you tell us they used a 40 rappen stamp to pay for it?"</p><p>Yeah. I guess I glossed over that, didn't I? </p><p>First, take a look at the stamp itself.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhwjdKeL5xGsutZbiCISt17yZwNa_AS6Kj25sdHFeSzYJI8TkOxV9Mnxsg293j9fcju4ySPn0MDtrMc1_bHHnbj3dhS0LGLv4Au83r1QhKCe4opHgEZDRf9AiWpXfDKA9IVx-IN0DsMjsyfw1zx9LFu_mp61a83mK6Cvt0cYPsU5dJ0MxTr2dmJ235gPO/s388/strubelstamp.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="373" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhwjdKeL5xGsutZbiCISt17yZwNa_AS6Kj25sdHFeSzYJI8TkOxV9Mnxsg293j9fcju4ySPn0MDtrMc1_bHHnbj3dhS0LGLv4Au83r1QhKCe4opHgEZDRf9AiWpXfDKA9IVx-IN0DsMjsyfw1zx9LFu_mp61a83mK6Cvt0cYPsU5dJ0MxTr2dmJ235gPO/s320/strubelstamp.png" width="308" /></a></div>If you look at the bottom, it reads "40 rappen." If you look at the left, it reads "40 centimes," and at the right it says "40 centesimi." So, I could have selected any of these and been correct. <p></p><p>One of the neat things about Switzerland is that they have multiple official languages, including German, French, Italian and Romansh. Swiss money was based on the Swiss franc, which was divided into 100. The German speakers would refer to these as rappen, the French speakers as centimes, the Italians speakers as centesimi and the Romansh speakers as rap.</p><p>Since we are talking about mail between Switzerland and France, it actually makes more sense to discuss all of the postal rates in centimes. And, another neat thing? The next issue of Swiss postage stamps solved the problem of multiple names for their coinage by simply displaying the number "40." Each person could fill in the blank for themselves! <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIBkLgvlFoW7ndepSS-77K3PTbkoJijc1cqpJULiYnQIdDR1PwjdudAnl5JOzml1BOiw9wiXeqWKq-tMMhgvjxGFBmNoZTcM90ayAEYl-vq2pB3fNI5dmBEkvxOsYVLWbFIUEYubmuN6xjxy8WlNej6GPh3lszaNw6CM-1J_xVkms_4LuiXz5Zm8RB59w/s1666/SZ22_toFrancePontarlierStrubelback.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="1666" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIBkLgvlFoW7ndepSS-77K3PTbkoJijc1cqpJULiYnQIdDR1PwjdudAnl5JOzml1BOiw9wiXeqWKq-tMMhgvjxGFBmNoZTcM90ayAEYl-vq2pB3fNI5dmBEkvxOsYVLWbFIUEYubmuN6xjxy8WlNej6GPh3lszaNw6CM-1J_xVkms_4LuiXz5Zm8RB59w/s320/SZ22_toFrancePontarlierStrubelback.tif" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The back of this folded letter includes a Swiss railroad transit marking (Neuchatel to Pontarlier) and a receiving postmark for Paris.</p><p>And that is the anatomy of a simple letter in the 1860s (this one is 1862) from Switzerland to France. So, let's look again at our first example.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xw_w1ZWnH8vPeZQdPW4eeHoKidLBW7TVr16XphijudOM5B2QiiymsCOKkiXVwkPEbqkBK9n5J6RJKVSxdxmSIdYurJpP207OT9pZPO2mZZythIvJ5lD7FVZgL6V9xZfTHc75Kiqy_d0bDU54ZwOnaE3FYirZU6wlL0AbmgsXh5K4cOPVitKuYoTxZeVO/s1633/SZ28_toFrancedoublestrubel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1633" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xw_w1ZWnH8vPeZQdPW4eeHoKidLBW7TVr16XphijudOM5B2QiiymsCOKkiXVwkPEbqkBK9n5J6RJKVSxdxmSIdYurJpP207OT9pZPO2mZZythIvJ5lD7FVZgL6V9xZfTHc75Kiqy_d0bDU54ZwOnaE3FYirZU6wlL0AbmgsXh5K4cOPVitKuYoTxZeVO/w640-h434/SZ28_toFrancedoublestrubel.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>Things are actually pretty similar. The most notable differences are - two postage stamps instead of one, and the number "2" just under those stamps. <br /></p><p>Then we see something like this one! <br />
</p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;"><tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrjkaeWxeDwTF_qauCrTNqCdgq-rZpkEVx9WNYFFw47oK38WAdIe6xEthfIesR2bi6EVsaQzl-5NzMkxwwTMQHjS_8Ry5EKguJKF08gHVK2mMXrwQyLeevHQWPTfdokwcJgTVxOyVCTDX/s1600/SwisstoFrance40ct.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1452" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrjkaeWxeDwTF_qauCrTNqCdgq-rZpkEVx9WNYFFw47oK38WAdIe6xEthfIesR2bi6EVsaQzl-5NzMkxwwTMQHjS_8Ry5EKguJKF08gHVK2mMXrwQyLeevHQWPTfdokwcJgTVxOyVCTDX/s400/SwisstoFrance40ct.jpg" width="400" /></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCaCbIirD2s5GxF0KizYzfgPtBf02FvLxibeHdHK-7zvjIaORQ-GkP6ohbZ19rv2Cge4VY_WNV6GnGWtdFmsqeZig0b4Gl-5a1C4Mniug3IijZ0sD5lWxU0cFiFfVxcOlPoAycT7WuVJ2/s1600/SwisstoFrance40ctback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="1445" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCaCbIirD2s5GxF0KizYzfgPtBf02FvLxibeHdHK-7zvjIaORQ-GkP6ohbZ19rv2Cge4VY_WNV6GnGWtdFmsqeZig0b4Gl-5a1C4Mniug3IijZ0sD5lWxU0cFiFfVxcOlPoAycT7WuVJ2/w400-h286/SwisstoFrance40ctback.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
Basel Oct 31, 1864 (Bad Bahnpost)<br />
Suisse St Louis Nov 1, 1864<br />
Lyon Nov 2, 1864<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p></p><p>This letter was mailed in 1864 from Basel, Switzerland to Lyon, France. Our other examples both went to Paris. So, unlike them, this item would likely have headed
by rail to Dijon and then south to Lyon after it got to St Louis.</p><p>There are also a couple of different markings here that, because they are a bit different, might tell us some different stories!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWn8yKk5hAsRfrWjOm58aYnD0b-__4-WoDI9jmr7jILZPZHgXhfUW1W8adp4hjb9kK54Sgq1tkJLuMSTg9FOvapIGNUdRjqxYd7S1y4uJsje6RNi24cLcbXtYxsqAhT_HCM-46oR_anNUAdtPrT65N_V6dT8YOaM7jlnyiAqEgR-2pmUZklKZQCFvkQqhX/s316/bahnhof_marking.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="316" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWn8yKk5hAsRfrWjOm58aYnD0b-__4-WoDI9jmr7jILZPZHgXhfUW1W8adp4hjb9kK54Sgq1tkJLuMSTg9FOvapIGNUdRjqxYd7S1y4uJsje6RNi24cLcbXtYxsqAhT_HCM-46oR_anNUAdtPrT65N_V6dT8YOaM7jlnyiAqEgR-2pmUZklKZQCFvkQqhX/s1600/bahnhof_marking.tif" width="316" /></a></div><p>
The <b><i>Bad Bahnpost marking</i></b> reveals an interesting
historical aspect. Baden and Switzlerland entered a treaty agreement on
July 27, 1852. This allowed for the development of a railway station
that would be run by the Baden rail on Swiss soil in Basel. A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Badischer_Bahnhof" target="_blank">simple history</a>
exists on wikipedia that can serve as a starting point for those who have interest. So, this letter was either posted at the Baden station or on the train itself. Our other letter from Basel read "Basel Briefexpedition." This would have been a Swiss post office marking.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJACou-cmsRu0SdLLVaZqQQnp2CaNeTdRFmTVBc-GqbuMIDpKxFrkOZlrAXJ26l9OCxUgmRFoA3d8WeTYtFqiUTe9mumaciAymH_BTI5t7W5M-dK-dAxvX4DYwgJGqVpzoBLM4h1fn9AN1vtTSUBZc5MVddwrROU0PKZpKoeFwhY6Em8tLrXqLlzSrVlcf/s236/aed_marking.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="236" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJACou-cmsRu0SdLLVaZqQQnp2CaNeTdRFmTVBc-GqbuMIDpKxFrkOZlrAXJ26l9OCxUgmRFoA3d8WeTYtFqiUTe9mumaciAymH_BTI5t7W5M-dK-dAxvX4DYwgJGqVpzoBLM4h1fn9AN1vtTSUBZc5MVddwrROU0PKZpKoeFwhY6Em8tLrXqLlzSrVlcf/s1600/aed_marking.tif" width="236" /></a></div><p>
The <b><i>7 A-E-D marking</i></b> found on the front of this cover seems
to be an artifact from earlier postal procedures in France. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>AED =
Affranchi a l'Etranger jusqu'a Destination (Foreign mail paid to
destination) </li><li>The numeral ('7') indicated the exchange office. </li></ul><p>It seems odd that this particular item has a
plethora of paid markings. There are two differnt "P.D." markings
applied. It seems fairly obvious by inking and placement that the boxed
PD was applied on the mobile post office on the Baden Bahnpost train.
The 7 AED marking looks like the same ink as the St Louis exchange
marking, so I would not be surprised to learn that "7" stands for St
Louis. The final P.D. marking could have been applied in Lyon or on the
train from St Louis to Lyon. Regardless, it seems the agents felt a
great need to indicate this item was paid more than once. Sometimes
it's good to be thorough, I guess.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">30 centimes per 10 grams - Oct 1, 1865 - Dec 31, 1875</span></b><br />
</p><p>Once we get to 1865, things get a bit more interesting from the perspective of routes because both France and Switzerland continued to add new railway lines. Suddenly, the shortest route wasn't always the best route. For example, if the shortest route only had one train a day, but a slightly longer route had four trains a day, it was possible that the second route would get the mail to its destination faster!</p><p>I have found that the period from 1865 to 1868 is best for studying these different routes. As we go into 1869 and the 1870s, the French and Swiss postal services spend less time putting postmarks on their mail. For example, France stopped worrying so much about putting a marking on each letter indicating where it crossed the border. Instead, Paris used a marking with the word "Etranger" to indicate a letter had originated outside of France. </p><p>Here is an example of a letter that left Switzerland at Geneva and crossed the border at Bellegarde.<br /></p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;"><tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8VTRsjtZMMsgfye8NU3eFPShDe9C0MJJCsok-s39Yyt9wP5gU5rJ7jvH4zGACTxVRb79Z5lRd8bz7k1TZkmAcf8qiKuqYuwtoHIYwcIdIVWgNuFQ3S-vLgmi7iZfMp47IHuHg0UVX6DX/s1600/SwisstoFrance1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8VTRsjtZMMsgfye8NU3eFPShDe9C0MJJCsok-s39Yyt9wP5gU5rJ7jvH4zGACTxVRb79Z5lRd8bz7k1TZkmAcf8qiKuqYuwtoHIYwcIdIVWgNuFQ3S-vLgmi7iZfMp47IHuHg0UVX6DX/s400/SwisstoFrance1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRr33FzSAXu-Jks5sFf2QOcm-fTzJ6rXlFns491tIz7lIH2UcasfdL-Roun7uos_-xZNjkjwOrftU1aWL7D42bsNLGT-c51CIyKJ0YzMw6R9K8VXfbvcIuhAVGpwYPAqqhq0ez_W10UDp/s1600/SwisstoFrance1back.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRr33FzSAXu-Jks5sFf2QOcm-fTzJ6rXlFns491tIz7lIH2UcasfdL-Roun7uos_-xZNjkjwOrftU1aWL7D42bsNLGT-c51CIyKJ0YzMw6R9K8VXfbvcIuhAVGpwYPAqqhq0ez_W10UDp/w400-h260/SwisstoFrance1back.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
Zurich Jun 13, 1866<br />
Geneve Jun 14 66 (verso)<br />
Geneve - Sion - Geneve Jun 14 66 (verso)<br />
Suisse Amb Marseilles Jun 14 66<br />
Marseilles Jun 15 66 (verso)</div></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p>These postal conventions helped to define which exchange offices in Switzerland could process mail with certain exchange offices in France. In this case, the Swiss exchange office would be represented by the "Geneve-Sion-Geneve" postmark or the "Geneve" postmark on the back of this folded letter. The first was a railroad marking for the Geneva - Lausanne traveling post office and the second was a post office marking in Geneva. Both were authorized to exchange mail with the ambulant (traveling) post office to Marseilles.</p><p>I was able to find some old rail schedules and found that there was only one French mail train departure a day for this particular exchange of mail at 4:30 PM. The Geneva marking gives us a time with "3S" (3 PM). Which would be about right to catch the French train. This train was scheduled to arrive at Lyon at 10:27 AM the next day and should have had no trouble getting to Marseilles later that day.<br /></p><p>Marseilles was to the South and West, but our next letter went to the South and East.</p><p></p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;"><tbody>
<tr>
<td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pBWBBAy5zQOD4VF4INInfGOdA-tSQJdR2nYA__3CkdmYEhyphenhyphenoWgEfcPvb3qI0wtWl5po9CxOz0dzLFzYnKGlLj9eD4Ngohq1mDyOTRI204yiaBURAmkjJwYU_uNGgBf84kdeJtTlRe2n1/s1600/SZ16_NyontoFrance.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1600" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pBWBBAy5zQOD4VF4INInfGOdA-tSQJdR2nYA__3CkdmYEhyphenhyphenoWgEfcPvb3qI0wtWl5po9CxOz0dzLFzYnKGlLj9eD4Ngohq1mDyOTRI204yiaBURAmkjJwYU_uNGgBf84kdeJtTlRe2n1/s400/SZ16_NyontoFrance.tif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjEZPCEvnF72T9lmojcldqwEbDI3e1V2jWZab30WL42gheg2aa55Um_PxKI6BpHwFRJurjVeZ3fjj1SoobP49WAEyxokggI0uh92cUQDGkhj8oeJFR3B9_fEAaoz5fFaCJ1cagtH8bk21/s1600/SZ16_NyontoFranceback.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjEZPCEvnF72T9lmojcldqwEbDI3e1V2jWZab30WL42gheg2aa55Um_PxKI6BpHwFRJurjVeZ3fjj1SoobP49WAEyxokggI0uh92cUQDGkhj8oeJFR3B9_fEAaoz5fFaCJ1cagtH8bk21/w400-h248/SZ16_NyontoFranceback.tif" width="400" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
Nyon Mar 5, 1868<br />
Geneve A Mar 5 68 (verso) <br />
Geneve - Sion Mar 5 68 (verso)<br /><br />
Suisse Amb M Cenis Mar 6 <br />
Grenoble Mar 6 68 (verso)</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p></p><p>This letter also went through Geneva, but it crossed into France at St Julien. The French exchange office was another traveling or ambulant post office on the Mt Cenis train. I suppose I could spend some time trying to find and dig out rail schedules for this one as well. But, sometimes proof of concept is all I need.</p><p>Look. If you want to spend YOUR time figuring out the train schedules for each of the rest of these letters, go right ahead! If you're feeling charitable, you can send them my way. If you're not, you can smugly hold on to that information for your own nefarious devices.</p><p>And the only reason I wrote that last paragraph is because someone challenged me to get the word "nefarious" into my next Postal History Sunday. Who said Postal History Sunday had to be perfectly serious?</p><p>So, shall we move on to one of my favorite covers from Switzerland to France?</p><table align="center" border="1" style="width: 65%px;"><tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rw8Qd9ulWNUtVTSQ_XogXYnb5E__JWUl_BKMQcpOMneQZTLkyNxHxCPi6KJem1NBfu2LB-5eKuv550pywNCsM1qf999TxTrrKW9dbBpy3WnY6Z7Y3gJRGAVD7LRh3chmGJMLXn7JaSKJ/s1600/SwisstoFrance2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1600" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rw8Qd9ulWNUtVTSQ_XogXYnb5E__JWUl_BKMQcpOMneQZTLkyNxHxCPi6KJem1NBfu2LB-5eKuv550pywNCsM1qf999TxTrrKW9dbBpy3WnY6Z7Y3gJRGAVD7LRh3chmGJMLXn7JaSKJ/s400/SwisstoFrance2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KH-uQzR0j44sgbpbymtR_f2MJlACrmvt6exekyfTJU_dFoXBAFF7AjWrSyB1dEfk7LU6aVVpLTQNvqNrdGMZ3uq4F7a1iUMPUQfEDQMPkva6XcvLfRu-cPf9xhuQ-Y-aoxWxEySIk2c6/s1600/SwisstoFrance2back.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="1600" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KH-uQzR0j44sgbpbymtR_f2MJlACrmvt6exekyfTJU_dFoXBAFF7AjWrSyB1dEfk7LU6aVVpLTQNvqNrdGMZ3uq4F7a1iUMPUQfEDQMPkva6XcvLfRu-cPf9xhuQ-Y-aoxWxEySIk2c6/w400-h244/SwisstoFrance2back.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
Zurich May 7, 1868<br />
Basel May 8 68 (verso)<br />
Suisse Mulhouse May 8 68<br /></div></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p>
<br />
The simple letter shown above would have taken the same rail line from Basel as the other items with the Saint Louis exchange marking. However, because the letter was addressed to Mulhouse and because Mulhouse was fairly close to the border - it served as the French exchange office with Basel. It is
likely Mulhouse only processed mail destined for its surrounding area. I would be very surprised to see a Mulhouse exchange for a letter destined for Paris, or Marseilles... or most anywhere else for that matter.<br />
<br />
According to the regulations for the 1865 convention, the Mulhouse
exchange office would correspond with three Swiss exchange offices, the Basel main office, the Basel
branch office (succursale) and the Olten-Basel traveling office.
Zurich was an exchange office only with Paris, so Zurich had to send the letter to the main Basel office to be processed there.</p><p>The letter left Basel on the second mail train to Mulhouse the
following day. There were five opportunities for mail to travel from
Basel to Mulhouse each day. The first chance for the letter to leave
Basel on the 8th, left at about 5:10 AM and was scheduled to arrive at
Mulhouse at 6:22AM. The Basel marking includes a "9" after the date,
which seems to indicate the 9 AM train departure (the second of the day
taking Mulhouse mails) which was scheduled to arrive 54 minutes later.
The other three departures were scheduled for 10:15 AM, 2 PM and
5:05PM. Scheduled travel times ranged from 54 minutes to 75 minutes.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Border Crossings and Exchange Offices</span></b><br />
<br />
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnMd7AZ35yI3oUbLDGVyvLOlMHH-FLpPPOxb7RttI41rJKRk29EClR4i1V0jm0L7CzXy-ymvYsBCXnVcJvohpgmZUMsRmd5zzbUmVqUHiC9nuNhU0WSxfsApnxrGMzxthvmwKKeWY1apS/s1600/swiss-france1849articleI.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="638" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnMd7AZ35yI3oUbLDGVyvLOlMHH-FLpPPOxb7RttI41rJKRk29EClR4i1V0jm0L7CzXy-ymvYsBCXnVcJvohpgmZUMsRmd5zzbUmVqUHiC9nuNhU0WSxfsApnxrGMzxthvmwKKeWY1apS/w400-h233/swiss-france1849articleI.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Article I of the 1849 Convention</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p></p><p>Shown above is the part of the 1849 postal agreement that set the pairings of offices to exchange the mail. The list here is fairly short (9 pairs). However, the convention language leavds it open for the creation of new exchange office locations when it was judged to be "necessary." This gave the postal administrations the power to figure out new pairings (and new exchange offices) as transportation opportunities presented themselves over time.</p><p>The 1865 postal convention does not include a similar list. However, the post office instructions include a very substantial listing of exchange office pairings and routes - sometimes providing expected rail schedules. <br /></p><p>The 1849 convention list of exchange offices were as follows from North to South (French location - Swiss location):<br />
</p><ol><li>Saint-Louis - Basel</li><li>Delle - Porentruy (local mail - SE of Montbeliard)</li><li>Miache - Seignelegier (local mail - E of Besancon)</li><li>Morteau - les Brenets (local mail - N of Verrieres)</li><li>Pontarlier - les Verrieres</li><li>Pontarlier - Sainte Croix (local mail - S of les Verrieres)</li><li>Jougne - Ballaigue (local mail - half way between Verrieres and Geneve)</li><li>les Rousses - Saint Cergue (local mail - N of Geneve)</li><li>Ferney - Geneva (west of Geneve)</li></ol>
The Instructions for the 1865 Convention give a much more complex
picture with a full schedule for departures and arrivals. Postal History Sunday is NOT the place for such a list. But, you should note that there is definitely a difference between exchange offices for local mail and exchange offices that would handle mail for larger portions of each country.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAW0P77wtBfKrnQV4yxIeSRbE-4sLBPhQg2TEdzszwT1GBUSIk8j0pFYnnZkIBDSemWLYIrgBrdzXPDxkEHHtCOOEX756vdNkllOFh0nwMSyfR4vKGFyUCmDgC7eNj6RAJ220xOeAl4XXO/s1600/frenchswissborder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1341" data-original-width="1167" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAW0P77wtBfKrnQV4yxIeSRbE-4sLBPhQg2TEdzszwT1GBUSIk8j0pFYnnZkIBDSemWLYIrgBrdzXPDxkEHHtCOOEX756vdNkllOFh0nwMSyfR4vKGFyUCmDgC7eNj6RAJ220xOeAl4XXO/s400/frenchswissborder.jpg" width="346" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div><p>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Basel-St Louis border crossing</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span>
The Paris to Basel rail lines carried a significant amount of
correspondence. The Paris to Basel (Bale) provided fast service
between the two cities and this mail train carried foreign mails from
England (and points beyond) which were funneled through Paris and on to
Calais.</p><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LUMFq73CxwWH1d72U1J7rvWGI3jv9UlSpq8QYf0382JrBJOp6T5Ts78hLlzwo-46jonnwZfEUmgqCYVctrP9es40Ti5s9pCD0FNl5WSjGe711C59TKmUvfTSBypkSnNqrEPttJBvzWpW/s1600/mail+schedule.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="821" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LUMFq73CxwWH1d72U1J7rvWGI3jv9UlSpq8QYf0382JrBJOp6T5Ts78hLlzwo-46jonnwZfEUmgqCYVctrP9es40Ti5s9pCD0FNl5WSjGe711C59TKmUvfTSBypkSnNqrEPttJBvzWpW/w400-h291/mail+schedule.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bradshaw's Monthly Guide May 1866 (click for larger version)<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p></p><p>
Mulhouse<i> </i>was the location for the rail line split either towards
Strasbourg or Dijon. According to Bradshaw's Handbooks, trains to Basel
(Bale) would have either gone through Strasbourg or via Troyes and
coming in just North of Montbeliard on its way to Mulhouse.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Verrieres de Suisse crossing </span></b><br />
<br />
Pontarlier on the French side of the border is clearly the largest
settlement in the area. Neuchatel or La Chaux-de-Fonds are relatively
close on the Swiss side. Significant mail volumes, including foreign
mails frequently took this crossing.<br />
</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Geneva crossings</span></b><br />
<br />
The Bellegarde crossing from Geneva would seem to be the favored routing
for mails in the Southern France from Marseilles westward. And, mail to western and northern France may also have taken this route. The Annemasse crossing was used for northern Savoy, while St Julien appears to have connected with the Mt Cenis railway - so mail to southeastern France would have gone this way most of the time.<br />
<br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Big Finish</span></b></p><p>What you got in today's Postal History Sunday is a brief view into all of the things that a postal historian might consider as they try to figure out how mail traveled from here to there in any period of time. You can either view it all as daunting or wonderfully interesting - and I will readily admit that there have been times when I waver between the two.</p><p>To understand postal history in a certain location for a given time period you have to get some idea of each of the following:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The area's general history.</li></ul><p>For example, it was helpful to know a bit about Switzerland's unification in 1848. And, it is good to know that some of the social history of that confederation includes peoples who speak four different official languages. <br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>
Geography</li></ul><p>At the very least, being able to picture the shared borders of France and Switzerland play a big role in figuring out the challenges and opportunities for exchanging mail. But, this only helps if you learn the borders for the time period you are studying. In the 1850s and 1860s, some of these borders changed - and that can be important to know because these big events can provide us with some of the best stories!</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The state of transportation</li></ul><p>In the late 1840s, much of the mail shared between France and Switzerland crossed the borders on horse-drawn mail coaches. By the mid-1860s, mail cars on trains handled most of the mail traffic.</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Money systems</li></ul><p>If you don't know the basics of the money used to pay for postage, you're going to have a pretty rough time understanding the postal rates!</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Postal regulations, procedures and rates</li></ul><p>And then there's this. This is often the crux of what postal historians claim to study. The cool part of this is that we can study actual artifacts - honest to goodness letters - that traveled in these mail systems during the time periods in the locations we hope to study.</p><p>Remember, each of these items were about 160 years old. And we can hold or view them today. Using them as a window, we can transport ourselves back in time to another place. And maybe we can understand some things about people who live there in that time.<br /></p>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Resources</b><br /></span>
<ol><li> De Clercq, M, "<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=OdYyAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Recueil+des+Trait%C3%A9s+de+la+France+1849&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjlmYfdxr3aAhWxrFkKHZdMCnIQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q=Recueil%20des%20Trait%C3%A9s%20de%20la%20France%201849&f=false" target="_blank">Recueil des Traites de la France</a>," p 638 holds the <b><i>1849 postal convention</i></b>.</li><li> page 207 of <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=d0dNAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA805&dq=Recueil+des+Trait%C3%A9s+de+la+France+1865&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjChtTi2b3aAhUnuVkKHWrLCfwQ6AEIPzAD#v=onepage&q=Recueil%20des%20Trait%C3%A9s%20de%20la%20France%201865&f=false" target="_blank">Volume 20</a> has the <i><b>1865 treaty.</b></i> </li><li> <a href="http://www.bourgouin-jl.fr/Site%20tarifs%20postaux.htm">Les Tarifs Postaux Francais: Entre 1848 et 1916</a> by Jean-Louis Bourgouin </li><li><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=GzUGAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA2-PA58&lpg=RA2-PA58&dq=train+1860+paris+a+bale&source=bl&ots=hn5CW7GcxT&sig=xUewMryCNoIuT_lZ-usx8ZXszyA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVsLbNlI7fAhUi_4MKHVcjD9Q4ChDoATAEegQIBhAB#v=onepage&q=train%201860%20paris%20a%20bale&f=false" target="_blank">Bradshaw's Monthly Continental Railway, Steam Transit and General Guide for Travelers Through Europe, May 1866</a>. </li><li>Mitchell, Allan, the Great Train Race: Railways and the
Franco-German Rivalary, 1815-1914, Berghan Books, 2000. </li><li>Richardson, Derek J, "<i>Tables of French Postal Rates 1849-2011</i>,"
4th ed, France and Colonies Philatelic Society of Great Britain,
2011. Only useful for foreign rates from France once the General
Postal Union is formed in 1875.</li></ol><p> ------------</p><p>Thank you for joining me today! Have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-11761634919799139012023-09-17T05:30:00.043-05:002023-09-17T05:30:00.139-05:00Too Late - Postal History Sunday<p></p><p>Welcome to Postal History Sunday. This is where the farmer (Rob) gets to share a
hobby he enjoys with you. It doesn't matter if you collect stamps or
postal history or if you just like to learn a new thing or two, all are
welcome here.</p><p>Now, let's take our troubles and worries and crumple
them up into as tight a ball as you can manage. Give that ball to your
cat, or your dog... or your goldfish. The cat will probably end up
batting them under the refrigerator, the dog will chew them up so you
won't recognize them anymore, and the goldfish... well, it probably
won't do much, but once you soak your troubles in fishtank water for a
few hours, they don't look as impressive as they once did. Don't have a
pet? Well, we are crumpling up virtual pieces of paper, so give them
to your virtual pet - maybe an elephant, if you'd like.</p><p>Let's see what new things we can learn this week!</p><p>----------------------------------<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlBWkAVGJBSwoGBd0qFqcz1hBnR5_ViDecSqofx27a5KzlOpQxB1K-7aQauTp3n0MgNa2DC0PnGdDX3bpilf-wIaP-EO4O3lTK-NkGnw5l9LV1zC-28rCU-HoNtgiXOToZTyuNidIdI-A/s1600/TooLateMarking3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="81" data-original-width="434" height="59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlBWkAVGJBSwoGBd0qFqcz1hBnR5_ViDecSqofx27a5KzlOpQxB1K-7aQauTp3n0MgNa2DC0PnGdDX3bpilf-wIaP-EO4O3lTK-NkGnw5l9LV1zC-28rCU-HoNtgiXOToZTyuNidIdI-A/s320/TooLateMarking3.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /></div><p>One
thing that I think most of us can relate to is the way time can get
away from us all. And the other thing is how valuable time can be to
us. Postal services around the world, for as long as they have been in
operation have been intensely aware of both of these things. They know
that we will wait until the last minute to get that envelope full of
important, time-sensitive materials (like maybe - a tax return?) to the
post office to be mailed. They also know that their customers pay
attention to how long things take to get from here to there!</p><p>How
have postal services defended themselves when their customers push that
time envelope and still expect the miracle of quick delivery to the
destination? I thought it might be fun to look at mail in the 1800s and
see how it was handled then.</p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">I'm sorry, but we didn't get this letter in time</span></b></span></p><p></p><p>During the mid-1850s, speedy and affordable mail
services were desired, and even demanded, by the business communities
who relied on the post to execute their business. They were swift to
point out failures to deliver in a timely fashion, which encouraged post
offices to mark letters and mail that were received after the mails
closed. It was a simple line of defense.<i>"Hey! The people who sent this to you messed up, so talk to them if you got it later than you wanted!"</i></p><p><i> </i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_DHe5aDcyKbXPq_sC7-zh5Xiz7423BU4kpMe_am3eSriXGR7ooDY4Xyqlx5j0uOdlRGrohRQXebHpXs3uWWBgQg1e_RtckN_1eP273KHDVkRe8pskSk2jtwl2qmct7O-Q4IM58QuAfDL/s1600/France1860railways.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="783" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_DHe5aDcyKbXPq_sC7-zh5Xiz7423BU4kpMe_am3eSriXGR7ooDY4Xyqlx5j0uOdlRGrohRQXebHpXs3uWWBgQg1e_RtckN_1eP273KHDVkRe8pskSk2jtwl2qmct7O-Q4IM58QuAfDL/w626-h640/France1860railways.png" width="626" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table></p><p>The French were proud of their rail system and the 'star' configuration
that set Paris at its center. They utilized mail processing cars on these trains and there were complex
schedules for mail transit using these rail lines. </p><p>Often, rather than going overland via a shorter distance, mail would travel to
Paris on one line of the 'star' and then go outward towards its
destination from Paris. This typically resulted in a faster delivery than a
direct coach service might have provided.<br />
</p><p>
The reliance on speedy railway services raised expectations for timely
delivery of the mail, which means a May 18 postmark at Cambrai in France
was typically expected to arrive on May 19 for delivery at Tournay,
Belgium. And while we are at it, Belgium's rail system actually advanced more
quickly than France's. So, it is possible they were even more likely to expect rapid mail transit than the French.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlrJ47Flxo2atx46q-4GmB4338h_iYqoh_qLRJGDC76X-LhtnsuZDHgvPK7yozyHTbQ7oMQ9TVHi_Ue-CNOIonI2A4AmK5piApNcTX5pxsQU5XbYK1KysnoMggB-D8O2kiRF76issbZqi/s1600/FR6_toBelgium1860.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1415" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlrJ47Flxo2atx46q-4GmB4338h_iYqoh_qLRJGDC76X-LhtnsuZDHgvPK7yozyHTbQ7oMQ9TVHi_Ue-CNOIonI2A4AmK5piApNcTX5pxsQU5XbYK1KysnoMggB-D8O2kiRF76issbZqi/w640-h421/FR6_toBelgium1860.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>So,
here I am looking at a folded letter that was postmarked on May 18,
1860. It is properly prepaid with a 40 centime French postage stamp.
The red box with the "PD" marking shows that the postage was recognized
as paid. And then there's that additional marking in black ink:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf89uanyo90p_w21AiOHrbBiWqZoePXDjYQEof7SgotN2U2MSHbws1kuBR5hL86f38nnPGuBtySY16ifIrVCONRvTTPJivSPJ1FhLIRisVt8I-iqtCp15Ox8K58Y9jUK_l3OlCiyisn3M/s273/apresledepartmark.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="273" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf89uanyo90p_w21AiOHrbBiWqZoePXDjYQEof7SgotN2U2MSHbws1kuBR5hL86f38nnPGuBtySY16ifIrVCONRvTTPJivSPJ1FhLIRisVt8I-iqtCp15Ox8K58Y9jUK_l3OlCiyisn3M/s0/apresledepartmark.png" width="273" /></a></div><br />The words "<span class="Y2IQFc" lang="fr"><b>après le départ</b>" translate to "<b>after the departure</b>." </span>Post offices had to set a cut-off time after which items could no longer be
accepted for that day's scheduled conveyance. Trains, in particular, had a
schedule to keep and the mailbag had to be ready to go and be on time.<br /><p>The
individual who trotted in with this piece of mail was probably
breathing heavily and might have even tried to convince the postal clerk
that there must be some way to get it on that train. But, alas! They
were too late, and the postal clerk made absolutely certain to document
that fact by putting this marking boldly in the center of the address
panel, for all to see.<br />
<br />
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6tukGijGvYOqdWDrWbx9OhEGptx7RVhUtpZ4rSm8Qert1dZfp2X_67vb07BkjP576E7z_GwqZqd6tXuVYMrrgZE95RnxOZjw0JgPHMyOcqSyYoOhTJUdtkU410LlX1oeDKcPSXTy4-a1/s1600/FR6_toBelgium1860back.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1400" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6tukGijGvYOqdWDrWbx9OhEGptx7RVhUtpZ4rSm8Qert1dZfp2X_67vb07BkjP576E7z_GwqZqd6tXuVYMrrgZE95RnxOZjw0JgPHMyOcqSyYoOhTJUdtkU410LlX1oeDKcPSXTy4-a1/w640-h416/FR6_toBelgium1860back.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Arrival at Tournay two days after mailing.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>The French postal service
was sensitive about their reputation for timely mail service, so they
applied the "<b>Apres Le Depart</b>" marking to any item that was received after
the scheduled close of the mail. It is important to recognize that the
closing of the mail for a particular departure does not imply that the
post office itself was closed for business. In fact, some post offices had multiple mail closing times to reflect mail
bound for different directions or conveyance methods.... or a different train on the schedule.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nl933_RBhdhBcCu3prZ_JUKFBpwT6riqtFTZN048T6oAW-ViEp6HsfSNC2QVN-DuMnhQzv28LW-1yiIOGLhalNa6L1tnBIawoCnz6oCeXbs8JFb0ZPlGtZxhnwidzQaX3XLLO8vmh20/s821/mail+schedule.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="821" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nl933_RBhdhBcCu3prZ_JUKFBpwT6riqtFTZN048T6oAW-ViEp6HsfSNC2QVN-DuMnhQzv28LW-1yiIOGLhalNa6L1tnBIawoCnz6oCeXbs8JFb0ZPlGtZxhnwidzQaX3XLLO8vmh20/w640-h466/mail+schedule.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a sample train schedule from Basel (Switzerland) to Strasbourg (France)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I suppose
two days for the delivery of a letter may not seem all that terrible in
the grand scheme of things. But, we need to remember that the post was
the primary method of communication between businesses and time... as some have said in business... is money.</p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Dutch wanted timely mail too... </span></b></span><br /></p><p>"<b>Na posttijd</b>" is translated literally as "<b>after post time</b>," which clearly
fits the same purpose as the French marking shown above. This folded letter was mailed in Wageningen on September 6, 1858.
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjI-xwsjTueqUL2X7dLEgM8MBFkjmBIU8oepNjrh1sUgtE98HIBz6dMWfLNL5TsOXGrbRSl9D7aiLATaAcUK6V-xDaRIxNIRaUeVEX697SNzgiAN6zwAcv4ZcoPUIR4P1psxHPJMCROFIN/s1600/NE3_napostich.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1600" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjI-xwsjTueqUL2X7dLEgM8MBFkjmBIU8oepNjrh1sUgtE98HIBz6dMWfLNL5TsOXGrbRSl9D7aiLATaAcUK6V-xDaRIxNIRaUeVEX697SNzgiAN6zwAcv4ZcoPUIR4P1psxHPJMCROFIN/w640-h384/NE3_napostich.jpg" width="640" /></a>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>
Wageningen and Arnhem were both located on an operating rail line at the
time of the posting of this letter in 1858. So, it seems that
it is likely the <b>na posttijd</b> marking was an indicator that the mail
train was missed. Perhaps no such marking was used for coach or other
service?</p><p>However, 20 km is equivalent to 4 Hollands Mijls, and each mijl was equivalent to roughly an hour long walk. Technically, any
service could have arrived at the destination in one day as long as the
letter was received at the post office prior to the carrier's
departure! Sadly, I suspect no one was willing to walk this item to Arnhem, so it
waited for the mail train that came through the next day and the letter
arrived in Arnhem on September 7.<br />
<br />
You might notice that this letter bears no postage stamps, something
that is uncommon for items in my collection. However, it was not at all
uncommon in the 1850's for items to be mailed unpaid with the intent
that the recipient pay the postage in order to take possession of the
letter. The large, penned "5" on the front of this letter indicated
that the 5 Dutch cents of postage were due on delivery from the recipient.</p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe it wasn't the sender's fault...</span></b></span></p><p>In 1855, Milan was part of Lombardy, which was administered by Austria. Parma was a duchy ruled by a member of the Bourbon line, but
had as recently as 1847 been ruled by a Habsburg.</p><p>Wait! What's this Habsburg/Bourbon stuff?</p><p>If
you are like me, I have only so much brainspace. And references to the
Bourbons and the Habsburgs don't mean much to me without a quick
reminder - so maybe the same holds true for you? The Bourbons have a
French origin and the Bourbons in Parma were Spanish. The Habsburgs, on
the other hand, were Austrian.</p><p>Remember the Holy Roman Empire? And, yes, I've heard the joke that the Holy Roman Empire was none of these. <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1786/the-ideology-of-the-holy-roman-empire/" target="_blank">Thank you Voltaire</a>. <br /></p><p>It
is this Austrian connection that explains Parma's participation in a
postal agreement (<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2022/04/a-league-of-their-own-postal-history.html" target="_blank">Austro-Italian League</a>) that maintained favorable rates
for mail between its members. Members included Austria, the Kindgom of
Lombardy & Venetia, Parma, Modena, Tuscany, and the Papal States. </p><p>The
letter below was sent from Milan (Lombardy) to Parma, which was both the
name of
the primary city and the duchy. Mail between them could be prepaid at
rates that were roughly equivalent to Austria's internal postage because
they were part of this postal league.<br />
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEw5CTvWTOY0K6V5-ysAoJsfBJcZ4Dn0mf0EMSBlTwQX7NWbjU_tXUZVbIg33vB_HDzctbUeW1D24oS3JtkHBT7FRMHjK3KLYZQhhtpGKa7dWGbKu2wOx0Dc-tLu-P1hZBN_BQrMLcOQS/s1600/LV4_toParmaDopoLaPartenza.tif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1585" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEw5CTvWTOY0K6V5-ysAoJsfBJcZ4Dn0mf0EMSBlTwQX7NWbjU_tXUZVbIg33vB_HDzctbUeW1D24oS3JtkHBT7FRMHjK3KLYZQhhtpGKa7dWGbKu2wOx0Dc-tLu-P1hZBN_BQrMLcOQS/w640-h347/LV4_toParmaDopoLaPartenza.tif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>Rail service was still extremely limited in
the Italian states because Austria wanted to suppress development of
anything that might
support a growing sentiment for the unification of Italy. It would not
be until 1859 that the Milan-Bologna rail line, which ran through Parma
and
Modena, would be fully placed into service. </p><p>This letter was
mailed in 1855. Perhaps there was a short railway spur in Milan that
carried this item towards its destination. But, it probably was carried
in a mail coach most of the way to Parma.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYy635GtZfTqauo1UVYHF_MDN4Hk0Hn7CPhyphenhyphenlcw9n2tmWR5OPJvhfVHGwx_XddiL6wGESUC0EzeM41pZwE_HvYtwb9JTtzoQngTCtRQlxeXK5vLeS7AIDVdAE7NUxil8EwQ4JO1Sz4VY/s265/dopolapartenza.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="156" data-original-width="265" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYy635GtZfTqauo1UVYHF_MDN4Hk0Hn7CPhyphenhyphenlcw9n2tmWR5OPJvhfVHGwx_XddiL6wGESUC0EzeM41pZwE_HvYtwb9JTtzoQngTCtRQlxeXK5vLeS7AIDVdAE7NUxil8EwQ4JO1Sz4VY/s0/dopolapartenza.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />Whether this folded letter was put on a train or not, there is a marking in Italian that reads "<b>dopo la partenza</b>" or "<b>after departure</b>." <br /><p>There
is a September 2 postmark in Milan followed
by an arrival in Parma on September 4 for a 120 km trip - mostly by
coach. With
an average speed of 8 km per hour, it would take 15 hours of continuous
travel, but the dedicated mail coaches probably traveled faster than
this. So, it is possible a person in Parma might expect to receive a
letter from Milan in a single day.<br /></p><p>So - perhaps there was another reason this letter was delayed?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Sdds_rTgJjvwZNedcmlYiKKx8AQjXi955vtzhJaCn2hrLCYT0nJhlMobzVb7O9r8JdCNv5O7WWRBlk0KQ4IoX7RiKiBZXQZivFKJyugyUKzBqUxuUxxZsNeSuvT3AIHTzeJJ9YUnf4M/s269/disinfectionslit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="269" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Sdds_rTgJjvwZNedcmlYiKKx8AQjXi955vtzhJaCn2hrLCYT0nJhlMobzVb7O9r8JdCNv5O7WWRBlk0KQ4IoX7RiKiBZXQZivFKJyugyUKzBqUxuUxxZsNeSuvT3AIHTzeJJ9YUnf4M/s0/disinfectionslit.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><p>There are two slits in this folded letter that are indicators that the item was disinfected at some point on its journey.</p><p>The third cholera pandemic had been particularly deadly in 1854 and reached places in Italy where it had not previously been found
in the following year (see <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/41711/WHO_MONO_43;jsessionid=BDA99AF6EE962AAB7C6DB32204D885F3?sequence=1" target="_blank">p 30 of the monograph linked here</a>). It was
at this time that various individuals were discovering that contaminated
water was the source for most outbreaks. But, even so, disinfection of
the mail continued, if only to show the public that something was being
done to control the disease.</p><p>In fact, you can see that I featured this same cover in<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2020/12/wrong-solution-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank"> this Postal History Sunday</a> that talked about treatments of the mail in attempts to halt disease.<br /></p><p>So...it is possible the reason for the <i><b>dopo la partenza</b></i>
marking had nothing to do with the late arrival of the sender at the
post office and everything to do with the disinfection process itself. <br /></p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Or maybe, we just missed the boat...</span></b></span></p><p>The letter below was mail in February of
1858 from Triest to Pola. There was no active rail line between these
two cities on the Istrian peninsula at that time and the entire area used Austria's postal services.<br />
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5qTttM7gPgNkhZq9qsuktXGqSohQ7_k7HF3SrijLBfNggIVGpZBOMk4FrKM7qVXxv0QynsOEpKOfRlZTrVZ7qyd5Cltv_WFA1i6CtqCxR5klU99qTDzD9wHPsc0fJHs2kEd4ckJNU-0Z/s1600/AU17_auxilliarymarking.tif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1570" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5qTttM7gPgNkhZq9qsuktXGqSohQ7_k7HF3SrijLBfNggIVGpZBOMk4FrKM7qVXxv0QynsOEpKOfRlZTrVZ7qyd5Cltv_WFA1i6CtqCxR5klU99qTDzD9wHPsc0fJHs2kEd4ckJNU-0Z/w640-h408/AU17_auxilliarymarking.tif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Nach Abgang Der Post</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>Triest was a major port city on the Adriatic Sea and there were
significant business concerns that utilized mail services regularly in
that community. Pola, at the time this letter was written, was also a
port city on the Adriatic*. Sadly,
the backstamp is not clear enough to determine the arrival date with
certainty, though it looks like February 9 (after a Feb 6 sending
date). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAfNwXAd2z7apdBfdoD7UbwEoQyaG_6AR8nYkueahwG9UefLrXLfZDN6lxEZs-z5GD72VJhd-USm3IEfS7k0fxcXOgQWyfdmUHZMKP31_pqbfOXXQtLRqtKk7O6wZJoWIgsTyfqaDatA/s375/nachabgang.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="375" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAfNwXAd2z7apdBfdoD7UbwEoQyaG_6AR8nYkueahwG9UefLrXLfZDN6lxEZs-z5GD72VJhd-USm3IEfS7k0fxcXOgQWyfdmUHZMKP31_pqbfOXXQtLRqtKk7O6wZJoWIgsTyfqaDatA/s320/nachabgang.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Another postal service and another language. This time, our marking on the letter is in German and it reads "<b>nach abgang der post</b>" which means "<b>after the post has left</b>." <br /><p>It
does not seem possible that this marking had anything to do
with a train since I cannot find any record of railways there until
decades later. Of course, it is always possible that a mailcoach was
missed, but I think that this letter may have missed the boat!</p><p>Both
cities were reasonably significant ports on the Adriatic Sea and it
seems reasonable to expect coastal steamers to carry mail between them.
It is also reasonable to expect that there were also mail coach
routes. So, I can't say for sure whether this missed the next scheduled
boat or the next scheduled mail coach. But, one thing is for sure - it
missed something! <br />
<br />
*Pola is now a part of Croatia and is known as Pula. The distance, via
ground routes, is approximately 140 km between Trieste and Pola.</p><p><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">It's nice that you wanted to catch the <i>Asia</i>, but....</span></b></span><br />
<br />
Persons who availed themselves of trans-Atlantic mail services in the
1860s were often well-versed in the comings and goings of the mail
packets (ships) and would often write a directive on the envelope or
wrapper for a particular ship sailing. On the bottom left of
the envelope shown below we see the words "<b>p(er) Cunard Steamer Asia from Boston
April 25</b>." The docketing at the left indicates that the
contents were datelined April 24, 1866 but, sadly, the contents are no
longer with the envelope.<br />
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeikfG8gLYduazNkEwV-cffV6bYIRcWQ2X8wAW10LyKV7quWv1ManBCLdf2r6S_syk1BnkUG8qUG5h-qjPOvR2C-Mftmj0aDtcLQpl9qIyZdJpAgdQ9iKx7qUL37jSjEbgwwOpQucLqXt/s1600/toolateny.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1600" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeikfG8gLYduazNkEwV-cffV6bYIRcWQ2X8wAW10LyKV7quWv1ManBCLdf2r6S_syk1BnkUG8qUG5h-qjPOvR2C-Mftmj0aDtcLQpl9qIyZdJpAgdQ9iKx7qUL37jSjEbgwwOpQucLqXt/w640-h368/toolateny.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>
Generally speaking, the postal clerks at exchange offices (those post
offices that handled mail to and from countries outside the United
States) were charged with getting the mail to the destination via the
fastest available route. So, the docket indicating which ship this item
should sail on was not as necessary as it might have been in prior
decades. Still the sender of this piece of mail found it necessary to
try to show that an April 25 sailing departure was expected. </p><p>Is
it possible they put it there in an attempt to impress upon the
recipient that if it did not go that way, the postal service might be to
blame for any delay? <br /></p><p>It was
well known that Cunard Line sailings left on Wednesdays,
alternating between Boston and New York. The next available sailings
(by other lines) were on Saturdays. This Wednesday sailing was in
Boston, but the letter was mailed in New York, which means the letter
probably had to be in the New York exchange office on Tuesday (Apr 24)
to reach the Wednesday ship departure in Boston*. But, what happens
when you get to the post office too late and the mailbags intended for
the Cunard Line's <i>Asia</i> have been closed and are no longer available to stuff one more letter into them? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlBWkAVGJBSwoGBd0qFqcz1hBnR5_ViDecSqofx27a5KzlOpQxB1K-7aQauTp3n0MgNa2DC0PnGdDX3bpilf-wIaP-EO4O3lTK-NkGnw5l9LV1zC-28rCU-HoNtgiXOToZTyuNidIdI-A/s1600/TooLateMarking3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="81" data-original-width="434" height="59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlBWkAVGJBSwoGBd0qFqcz1hBnR5_ViDecSqofx27a5KzlOpQxB1K-7aQauTp3n0MgNa2DC0PnGdDX3bpilf-wIaP-EO4O3lTK-NkGnw5l9LV1zC-28rCU-HoNtgiXOToZTyuNidIdI-A/s320/TooLateMarking3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>
Well, the postal clerk takes note of your intent for a April 25
departure by putting a marking that reads "<b>Too Late</b>" on the front of your
piece of mail. Then, he strikes the cover with a red New York marking
with the date of the NEXT available sailing (April 28), providing an
explanation to the recipient that it was NOT their fault that this item
arrived a few days later. </p><p>I wonder if the clerk would have bothered
with the "<b>Too Late</b>" marking if the sender had not tried to place an
intended departure date on the cover? My guess is that they would not
have done so.<br />
<br />
<i>*The Appletons' United States Postal Guide gives some of the postal
schedules for some of the larger cities including New York and Boston.
However, it only provides a look at the Boston foreign mails and no
mention is made of the New York foreign mails. In Boston, letters
destined for a New York sailing were to be posted no later than 7 pm the
previous day. </i><br />
<br />
------------------------</p><p>Well, once again, you have frittered away
a chunk of time and politely listened (or read) while I shared
something I enjoy. I hope you found parts and pieces of it interesting
and perhaps you learned something new. I hope you join me next week for
a new Postal History Sunday.<br /></p><p>Hey! Where did that wadded up ball of troubles go? Oh, the elephant took it? Ok, that's fine with me. <br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>A Couple of Resources</b></span><br /></p><p>There
are numerous philatelic and postal history resources out in the world
that have helped me get a foothold on some of the things I share here.
Here are two that had some influence on this week's Postal History
Sunday.<br />
<br />
"<i>Appletons' United States Postal Guide - 1863</i>," D. Appleton & Co, reprint by J. Lee<br />
<br />
Lesgor, R, Minnigerode, M & Stone, R.G., "<i>The Cancellations on French Stamps of the Classic Issues: 1849-1876</i>," Nassau Stamp Company, 1948</p><p>------------</p><p>Thank you for joining me today! Have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-28474319165242965552023-09-10T05:30:00.274-05:002023-09-10T08:17:54.777-05:00Pick One Thing - Postal History Sunday<p>Welcome to this week's edition of Postal History Sunday. Grab
yourself a snack and a beverage of your choice, put on the fuzzy
slippers and banish your troubles to the cellar for a little bit. If
you leave them down there long enough, they might be a bit paler and
less daunting when you see them next time.<br /></p><p>Meanwhile, I'm going to explore a few postal history items this week and we'll see if we can learn something new.</p><p>This
week, I thought I would have a little fun by selecting a few items that
I do not think I have shared in a Postal History Sunday blog before.
The idea is for me to find some interesting fact or feature for each
item I share - without any particular theme in mind. If the plans fails to make any sense, you can just allow
yourself to be amused while I go about whatever it is I am going to do
today! <br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Armistice at Villafranca </span></b><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmYnj0yJ3yChSUMj_TA2cINODf3M3EzzPJOoW_L8CeoAKe4fYcBTfv4z8ujaEcQ7yvkoCwNvFMeJMAM7MbuE1kjtRsVt3do-4Vg_hScI1gS4pVs1zM9AMDJyAN8y_FID40-p7oZKQ_NoD3_-0_3mx5nYVLgBcEnDlkBu9xz0GWlHL1YQCFpKFwQmajeCU/s1592/AU21_Villafranca.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1592" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmYnj0yJ3yChSUMj_TA2cINODf3M3EzzPJOoW_L8CeoAKe4fYcBTfv4z8ujaEcQ7yvkoCwNvFMeJMAM7MbuE1kjtRsVt3do-4Vg_hScI1gS4pVs1zM9AMDJyAN8y_FID40-p7oZKQ_NoD3_-0_3mx5nYVLgBcEnDlkBu9xz0GWlHL1YQCFpKFwQmajeCU/w640-h420/AU21_Villafranca.tif" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Sometimes
knowing a little bit of history can give you an interesting angle for a
story around an old piece of mail. This folded business letter was
mailed from the port of Triest, which was part of Austria at the time,
to Villafranca di Verona, in the Kingdom of Venetia.* The Triest postmark
is September 6 and the letter dateline tells us that it was mailed in
1859.</p><p>Because the Kingdom of Venetia was also under Austrian
control at the time, the postage amount was based on the internal
Austrian postage rates. Austria's internal rates were determined by a
combination of distance and weight. This letter traveled over 150 km,
so it qualified for the longest distance rate of 15 kreuzer per loth
(Austrian weight unit). And, sure enough, there are 15 kreuzers worth
of postage stamps on this letter.</p><p>Just two months prior to the
mailing of this letter, on July 11, 1859, French Emperor Napoleon III
and Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria <a href="https://opil.ouplaw.com/page/954" target="_blank">signed an armistice</a>
that ended a war between Austria and allied France and
Sardinia/Piedmont. Part of the motivation for the peace agreement were
the grievous losses to both sides at the Battle of Solferino, just 25 km
to the West. It's an interesting nuance that Piedmont/Sardinia was not
present at the table for these negotiations.</p><p>Of particular
interest to me is that this typical business letter from someone in
Triest to someone in Villafranca illustrates that, despite the momentous
events going on there, life continued and businesses continued to
execute transactions - stubbornly behaving as they always had and,
perhaps, pretending that business as usual would remain business as
usual. </p><p>* Villafranca was established in 1185 when the Council of
Rectors in Verona decided to establish this settlement on its border
with Mantua (Mantova), as this was a strategic location. They
established the town as a tax-free settlement, hence the name <i>villa franca</i>. At a guess, they used the tax free status to encourage people to settle there and help establish the town.<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">And the French get Savoy </span></b><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCU39VcrF3luefa8PX6w9e32TIrO-c5k8S0RentzGDGHo7i1srFg-lTWdFIz9Fg1-HZPZzK-cwKOPgi4rAmUjaDD6GSOiNFtHNRPp2Lgjry_zUG8ihUnLG438sBEI8fS5V88k3tm9zK2x1SEm-o_B1oZaP22EFZfN8qEKAmFktBx-KZemkFAkbr7_K34Xd/s1652/SDSavoytoFrance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1652" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCU39VcrF3luefa8PX6w9e32TIrO-c5k8S0RentzGDGHo7i1srFg-lTWdFIz9Fg1-HZPZzK-cwKOPgi4rAmUjaDD6GSOiNFtHNRPp2Lgjry_zUG8ihUnLG438sBEI8fS5V88k3tm9zK2x1SEm-o_B1oZaP22EFZfN8qEKAmFktBx-KZemkFAkbr7_K34Xd/w640-h330/SDSavoytoFrance.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />And
here is what happens when you pick one thing to talk about for one
cover, you end up remembering a related thing on another item and you
can't help yourself - you've got to bring it up.<p></p><p>Shown above is
a folded letter - one that is full of advice for a, probably, younger
protege. This cover was mailed from St. Michel in the Duchy of Savoy to
Troyes, in France. The cost for a letter between these two entities was
60 centesimi and the postage stamps on the cover add up to precisely
that amount.</p><p>The mailing date of January 23, 1860 is very
interesting to me because not long after this letter was mailed, St
Michel, and all of Savoy (Savoie), would be transferred to France from Sardinia.<br /></p><p>If you will recall, France and Sardinia/Piedmont were
allies against Austria. In fact, Napoleon III and the Count of Cavour
(Piedmont/Sardinia) met in secret to devise a plant to provoke Austria.
If they could get Austria to attack, then France would be "obligated"
to join Sardinian forces due to treaty stipulations. In other words,
they wanted an excuse to declare war.</p><p>Essentially, the cost to
Piedmont/Sardinia was to cede the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice
to France while they would absorb conquered territory (ideally all of
the Kingdoms of Lombardy and Venetia). Even as this letter was
traveling through the post, negotiations for the <a href="https://www.liquisearch.com/treaty_of_turin/treaty_of_turin_1860" target="_blank">Treaty of Turin</a>
(signed March 24) were being finalized. And, to make it official, a
plebiscite (or vote) was taken in April that asked the question whether
the people wanted Savoy to be part of France. The results were
overwhelmingly in favor of that move - though that story is certainly
more complex than that and worthy of more words than I will give here
today.</p><p>After working to translate the contents of this letter, I
can report that there appears to be no reference to these momentous
events. The concern was to share life's lessons - and among them must
have been "don't pay any attention to the machinations of the powerful,
for they have little to do with you." That's the only explanation I
have for the seeming lack of awareness of the coming change of
"management."<br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Double or nothing</span></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OjdfvaAZATqzPIdkdmg5VaU7Qk5r3zqqEhAbrBY6IppraDASC26j8CCdk2k_mI5JpQFocYbE3HX9FtvodKMoaUBsoYsVw1EClz61DEoO3WkKEvn53_54tPWq7RS0G-f0SZ1fD7vl1UdjJiRImvJS1Qf1a563oWljHwHiyiUMIsMJoga9PfgTsD9ECugY/s1782/doublerateCinci.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="1782" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OjdfvaAZATqzPIdkdmg5VaU7Qk5r3zqqEhAbrBY6IppraDASC26j8CCdk2k_mI5JpQFocYbE3HX9FtvodKMoaUBsoYsVw1EClz61DEoO3WkKEvn53_54tPWq7RS0G-f0SZ1fD7vl1UdjJiRImvJS1Qf1a563oWljHwHiyiUMIsMJoga9PfgTsD9ECugY/w640-h364/doublerateCinci.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Then,
suddenly, I found myself looking at an envelope that I would call a
very typical double rate cover for a letter that was internal to the
United States in the mid-1860s. Each rate cost 3 cents and there are
two 3-cent stamps here to pay the double weight letter postage. </p><p>This
particular letter did not have terribly far to go, starting in
Cincinnati and ending in Cleveland. That illustrates an interesting feature of
many mail systems in the 1850s and 1860s, postage costs were calculated
by weight unit, but the distance often played no role.
This was a significant change from prior decades, where distance was
often a key component for determining cost.</p><p>If this person wanted
to send a double weight letter from Cincinnati to Florida, or Cincinnati
to Texas, the cost would be the same as it was to send it to
Cleveland. But, in the early 1860s, the postage rate to destinations on
the other side of the Rocky Mountains cost a whole lot more.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDvilVCePpsI4BX9pOpTm0aWDdZxT5lOfJZOnPUI4G0Wo9uD66AZRFowBddO--D_JcZjD76SenmgitjKWlvBAlSYh02vPfPlQwsAjtesIXldiTWnhxCrl9n7-_ar8YfXjfMJGvfCNRGoZ05-KQA-yYkSdWMDUWPuQLWIZFfGB7KDAkzm551Qglvlwwer6/s1715/doubletencentrate.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1715" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDvilVCePpsI4BX9pOpTm0aWDdZxT5lOfJZOnPUI4G0Wo9uD66AZRFowBddO--D_JcZjD76SenmgitjKWlvBAlSYh02vPfPlQwsAjtesIXldiTWnhxCrl9n7-_ar8YfXjfMJGvfCNRGoZ05-KQA-yYkSdWMDUWPuQLWIZFfGB7KDAkzm551Qglvlwwer6/w640-h376/doubletencentrate.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>And
here is an example to make the point for me. This letter was mailed
from San Francisco in October of 1862 to New Hampshire. The rate was 10
cents per 1/2 ounce (instead of 3 cents), so a double weight letter
would cost 20 cents. </p><p>Sure enough, this letter has two 10-cent
stamps paying that postage. This letter cost more than three times as
much to mail as the previous letter, and part of the reason for it is
made clear at the bottom left. The docket there reads "per steamer." </p><p>While
there were overland routes to California, these postage rates were
established at a time when mail typically went via steamship to Panama,
where it would cross the Isthmus and then take another steamship to the
opposite coast. There wasn't much competition to carry the mail, so the
price was relatively high. As a result, the postage costs needed to be
higher to cover the expense.</p><p>This was already changing in the
late 1850s, but it would take a while for postage rates to adjust to the
new reality. In July of 1863, the rate would be 3 cents for any
destination in the U.S, including mail between the coasts.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHzyyMCPr2s25BaKEMZf8a1QjB1bxdamMmTsfy6JhHwJqQcUK5ASHyJ41QQ3uJYP_dpwiHeblX67pSFdG5LRP8Ac5eWczp3N_naqZHcZzi0KErr9Swl6CipbCXet7mgo37RkcGB4eEX8xhSpiE1SK_BtRY3QXp0i4YUiwh8Sb0sx1DFQAJL3lhPs-df8X/s1661/doublerateshortpaid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1661" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHzyyMCPr2s25BaKEMZf8a1QjB1bxdamMmTsfy6JhHwJqQcUK5ASHyJ41QQ3uJYP_dpwiHeblX67pSFdG5LRP8Ac5eWczp3N_naqZHcZzi0KErr9Swl6CipbCXet7mgo37RkcGB4eEX8xhSpiE1SK_BtRY3QXp0i4YUiwh8Sb0sx1DFQAJL3lhPs-df8X/w640-h370/doublerateshortpaid.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>And
here is another 1862 letter from San Francisco to the East Coast
(Brooklyn). This time, there is ten cents of postage on the cover,
paying the cost to mail a simple letter (no more than 1/2 ounce) to a
destination on the other side of the Rockies. Unfortunately, this
envelope and its contents must have weighed a bit too much. As a
result, the number "10" was hand-stamped on the cover and the word "Due"
followed. <br /></p><p>In other words, this is another example of a
double-weight (or double-rate) cover. The sender just failed to provide
the full postage to pay for it.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">One paid marking deserves another</span></b><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrjLodHz2AWcgjNC32hvgGvq9FYodDB30Vym_cuTfB7WyqASUqAwB11o-XdGagAR_jp2QRtyVfOUSxe63r9Bz_CIoVYm0CtkQqSc11hGl8cNV7vnx9Pztr_S7-rW5KYdo0WjTRHP8EI5h908a-4XSY-Hpd34OiNUwtVTEE3NGlV_uCFwdHwMiY8QYqVbA/s1552/NE30_BelgiumTriple.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1552" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrjLodHz2AWcgjNC32hvgGvq9FYodDB30Vym_cuTfB7WyqASUqAwB11o-XdGagAR_jp2QRtyVfOUSxe63r9Bz_CIoVYm0CtkQqSc11hGl8cNV7vnx9Pztr_S7-rW5KYdo0WjTRHP8EI5h908a-4XSY-Hpd34OiNUwtVTEE3NGlV_uCFwdHwMiY8QYqVbA/w640-h388/NE30_BelgiumTriple.tif" width="640" /></a><br /></div><p></p><p>Shown
above is a letter mailed from the Netherlands in 1859 to Belgium.
Affixed are postage stamps totaling 20 Dutch cents, which was sufficient
to mail this letter. But, what caught my eye this time was the fact
that this envelope has a "P.D." marking (payee a destination) and a
"Franco" marking as part of the device that defaced (or canceled) the
postage stamps. </p><p>The French, Belgians, Swiss and Italians seemed
to prefer a "P.D." marking to alert postal clerks in other countries
that they believed the postage to be properly prepaid. On the other
hand, the German States and the Netherlands preferred "Franco."
(franked or, essentially, paid)</p><p>I admit that I am not the foremost expert in
this area, but usually a "P.D." marking on an item coming into Holland
would be sufficient and there wouldn't typically be a need for a
"Franco" marking as well. Similarly, the Belgians seemed as if they were
fine accepting a "Franco" marking to indicate prepayment if it were
coming from a German or Dutch origin.</p><p>So, why both this time around? I have some thoughts on the matter, but if you have a theory - feel free to share.</p><p>In
my opinion, the Dutch probably figured the "Franco" that was part of
the stamp cancellation was sufficient to tell the Belgians this was
properly paid. However, the Belgians might not have seen it (can you
see it?). So, it is possible they re-weighed the letter and did their
own calculations, finding it was properly paid. At that point, they
marked the letter with "P.D." so the carrier would know they didn't need
to collect any money from the recipient.</p><p>The irony, of course, is that the P.D. marking is also a bit weak. But I think it got the point across. <br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Isthmian Line</span></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlHjKeAgrYK6RL4i1hmI_KM_WbDvbPgKXGqOUs-CkhQBqsbuBN9T4xUyeggW7yH95zGT4PH_zZpUfaVxvf96qT6_pFqQoLnjk3NRpR9HbWvrVgtJ4r7IlToiqteLnjOYswH3VqngqNH9OZJRonuCqrn2oECEMJvns-gkh6Qa5V4v9sC30_lD3E9W9gRy3/s1706/trinidadreturned.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1706" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlHjKeAgrYK6RL4i1hmI_KM_WbDvbPgKXGqOUs-CkhQBqsbuBN9T4xUyeggW7yH95zGT4PH_zZpUfaVxvf96qT6_pFqQoLnjk3NRpR9HbWvrVgtJ4r7IlToiqteLnjOYswH3VqngqNH9OZJRonuCqrn2oECEMJvns-gkh6Qa5V4v9sC30_lD3E9W9gRy3/w640-h418/trinidadreturned.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>This
envelope, mailed in 1936, was sent to a Mr. Lincoln V. Meeker. The
address directs the letter to the ship at Port of Spain, Trinidad.
However, when delivery was attempted, it was found that Mr. Meeker had
"left the ship" and apparently no forwarding address was known. As a
result, the letter was returned to Albany, New York. </p><p>The
Isthmian Line was a merchant marine line, which means they were not
primarily in the business of taking travelers around the world. That
tells me that Mr. Meeker may well have been a crew member or somehow
employed on the ship. Even if he was not, I smell a story here.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2rFGrRz_MQFAzFjwpb8tDjzStAxnxgJOP24ZLNHfrIsH9DQrU8LhJ6wbvdFO_TIZTpzg6Sp9vJgC9X0ojLiGkzMi3h6lsBPp_WSGe6icK4KUtCVHzPzdTlzwtMsZH0AeOaLPATZw-vs6j7H1pIViQmiVtGSA7ucRYFKrn7akSX751WhZtFKloDB5LB6W/s550/steel_navigator.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="550" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2rFGrRz_MQFAzFjwpb8tDjzStAxnxgJOP24ZLNHfrIsH9DQrU8LhJ6wbvdFO_TIZTpzg6Sp9vJgC9X0ojLiGkzMi3h6lsBPp_WSGe6icK4KUtCVHzPzdTlzwtMsZH0AeOaLPATZw-vs6j7H1pIViQmiVtGSA7ucRYFKrn7akSX751WhZtFKloDB5LB6W/w640-h340/steel_navigator.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SS Steel Navigator from <a href="https://navylog.navymemorial.org/steel-navigator" target="_blank">US Navy Memorial site</a> viewed 9/9/23<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The easy part is learning about the demise of the <a href="https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2284.html" target="_blank">SS Steel Navigator</a>.
It was torpedoed in the Atlantic Ocean in 1942. Only 16 of the 52 crew
members survived. The ship was hauling, of all things, sand ballast - a
mix of sand and gravel or small stones. The cargo had shifted in a
storm, causing the boat to list and fall behind its convoy.<p></p><p>Maybe I'll find more information regarding Mr. Meeker and
his disappearance from the SS Steel Navigator in 1936. If I do, it might lead to a future
Postal History Sunday.</p><p>------------</p><p>Thank you for joining me today! Have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.</p><p>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
</p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-8397080693835936152023-09-03T05:30:00.385-05:002023-09-03T11:01:42.855-05:00Don't Leave Home Without It - Postal History Sunday<p>Welcome to Postal History Sunday! </p><p>Before we get started, take a moment to prepare your favorite beverage and, if you want it, a snack. Remember that you need to keep these things away from your keyboard and the paper items. We don't want any accidents that might bring about bad feeling! And speaking about bad feeling, let's take those troubles and put them in a blender with some peas. Not only will you have whirled peas (think about it), your troubles won't be recognizable anymore.</p><p>As for whirled peas, I heard somewhere that everyone wanted whirled peas.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Let's start with a Merry Chase!</span></b><br /></p><p>Our last couple of Postal History Sundays have featured items that have been forwarded. Last week, we even tried to <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/08/forward-and-mystery-of-joseph-cooper.html" target="_blank">solve a mystery</a>! In the week before that, we described what it meant to <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/08/forward-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">forward mail</a>. If you don't feel like taking a link to read, I can help you out. In postal history, forwarding is a specific type of redirected mail. These are letters that were correctly addressed and the postal service attempted to deliver to that location - only to find out that the recipient had moved on. The letter could then re-enter the mail system to a new address if a new location was known for the addressee.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Q9jjZoM3W2y_E2SVF6DeUTaEIE9tfK2T0ENgaJucUikZ8KHll2JhmoySspWQ9oOy1BAExbAx3TrHlH55_8UOJEzXQ3f7MPIrOQ3leNmDCZHDOuUAbh1xIUXAQrMKRyiGx3P7lkkz4NWq014Cg3GS-G8OM49Qq01zhqBGQWonWNeIea-rxXEMmDnaIgFw/s1621/Panpac2centtoFrancefowarded.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1621" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Q9jjZoM3W2y_E2SVF6DeUTaEIE9tfK2T0ENgaJucUikZ8KHll2JhmoySspWQ9oOy1BAExbAx3TrHlH55_8UOJEzXQ3f7MPIrOQ3leNmDCZHDOuUAbh1xIUXAQrMKRyiGx3P7lkkz4NWq014Cg3GS-G8OM49Qq01zhqBGQWonWNeIea-rxXEMmDnaIgFw/w640-h418/Panpac2centtoFrancefowarded.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>Sometimes, when a person was traveling, a letter could follow them on a merry chase from one location to another. I've always enjoyed old envelopes that have taken these "merry chases," though I admit that there are times when they also give me a headache as I try to figure how they got from place to place. It's during those moments that I set the cover aside and wait until the motivation to figure it out returns. The envelope I am featuring today is one such item.<br /></p><p>This envelope addressed to Miss S. Louise Jewell (Sarah Louise Jewell 1853-1935), who was the Matron of <a href="https://archive.org/stream/pomonacollegeann19141919pomo/pomonacollegeann19141919pomo_djvu.txt" target="_blank">Sumner Hall at Pomona College</a> in Claremont, California, presents us with a merry chase that I am still in process of completely figuring it out. Apparently, Miss Jewell decided to have a grand European travel adventure during the summer of 1914 - which became a very interesting time to travel because Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated in June and World War I would <a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/stars-and-stripes/articles-and-essays/a-world-at-war/timeline-1914-1921/" target="_blank">get its start a month later</a> when Austria-Hungary declared war with Serbia.</p><p>The letter was initially addressed to Paris, France - care of the American Express Company - arriving in Paris on August 17. At bottom left, the address is made more specific with the notation "Am. Travel Club Party No. 4." So, Miss Jewell was apparently with a group that was tracked by American Express, providing both financial and mail forwarding services. The travel group number made it easier for American Express to know where the recipients should have been on the itinerary.</p><p>By the time this letter had arrived in France, Austria-Hungary had invaded Russia, Germany had invaded Luxembourg and Belgium and France had decided to try and take back the Alsace region they had lost in 1870 to Germany.<br /></p><p></p><p>On its arrival, it was noted that the 2 cent US stamp was inadequate to pay the foreign postage (5 cents) for the letter. That means postage was due and the cost (at least some of it) was provided by the American Express Company. That payment is indicated by the three French postage due stamps - showing payment of 30 centimes of postage. **</p><p>** Note, I am not an expert in this area, so I am not going to spend time deciphering what paid for what this time around! If you understand UPU forwarding rules in the 1910s, I am willing to listen. There is a description on page 251 in the book by Wawrukiewicz and Beecher "US International Postal Rates, 1872-1996," but I don't have time to absorb, apply and re-describe that information this week. <br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXInryeuQB5W7eRT6bHisiXHmYYMULoynTi6Okfl3pe_dh4kvDqLjlOLj4z7GcphtF81FyegpM-9VlWhv8spW4yahLkjd8K-NLKAhqUs3zq-jBk6uOXBqKhIlGMUV2UedzI43YYH6ZPZIcprg_8jzjkb5MrahRXHcLOzM2QNStKUOTDcRIBuFZkQwQhGkN/s793/Alaunia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="793" height="485" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXInryeuQB5W7eRT6bHisiXHmYYMULoynTi6Okfl3pe_dh4kvDqLjlOLj4z7GcphtF81FyegpM-9VlWhv8spW4yahLkjd8K-NLKAhqUs3zq-jBk6uOXBqKhIlGMUV2UedzI43YYH6ZPZIcprg_8jzjkb5MrahRXHcLOzM2QNStKUOTDcRIBuFZkQwQhGkN/w640-h485/Alaunia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S/S Alaunia (Cunard Line) - from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HMT_Alaunia_(1913)_B7_withtwentyninthd00creirich_0042.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Common</a> - photo by Chaplain 4th Class The Rev. Oswin Creighton. 1915 photo in Alexandria, when Alaunia served as crew ship.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The next step I can easily determine is that the letter was forwarded to London, England, to the Cunard steamship <i>Alaunia</i>. <p></p><p>The <i>Alaunia</i> was a fairly new ship at the time Miss Jewell was traveling, having had its maiden voyage in December of 1913. This ship and its sister ships only had 2nd and 3rd class options, which was clearly meant to take advantage of high immigration numbers from Europe to the United States. But it may also reflect the increase in travel interest by the general public in the United States. These people would not have been able to afford first class accommodations, but they were still interested in seeing the world. </p><p>The <i>Alaunia</i> was soon pressed into military service to carry troops. It sank after a very short sailing career when it collided with a mine in the English Channel in October of 1916.</p><p>Getting back to our cover - this letter arrived in London on August 31st (according to a postmark on the back of the envelope) but the ship must have already left to cross the Atlantic, with Miss Jewell on board. As a result, the cover was reposted in London on that same day to Pomona College in Claremont, California. </p><p>Back home and safe after what must have been a tense situation while she was in Europe, Miss Jewell finally got to open and enjoy her letter.</p><p>** There appears to be an additional address or instruction in blue crayon, but I cannot decipher it. If anyone else wants to take a crack at it - please feel free to do so!<br /></p><div style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">The Cunard steamer
ALAUNIA (1916) has been sunk. The crew of the steamer has been landed.
The ALAUNIA, which was built at Greenock in 1913, had a tonnage of
13,400 gross. Lloyd's Agency states that the captain and 163 of the crew
have bee landed. The passengers, about 180 in number, including a
number of women and children had been landed earlier. [Aberdeen Journal
20.10.1916; Liverpool Daily Post 20.10.1916] Read more at wrecksite: <a href="https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?2"> https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?2</a> </div><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Don't leave home without it</span></b><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijF_Tba3su8uuUQe9lX4iwIwjZ28Luw2iXtc7-g1AgYOa3Z4cR8C3de4KlnzYHiyT4TsRP22RF7QIJ1XLpsJRuRBn8YNu9uFZfgPBAHYU1XDRIitE2aL5Bkf3FHBeHgmIs0OZEbNwxGrYzYsH7cYzqESlfO10p3wu080hUilX83gxEFBulzJtH3NzcXY5h/s1673/washfrank5ctFranceItaly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="1673" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijF_Tba3su8uuUQe9lX4iwIwjZ28Luw2iXtc7-g1AgYOa3Z4cR8C3de4KlnzYHiyT4TsRP22RF7QIJ1XLpsJRuRBn8YNu9uFZfgPBAHYU1XDRIitE2aL5Bkf3FHBeHgmIs0OZEbNwxGrYzYsH7cYzqESlfO10p3wu080hUilX83gxEFBulzJtH3NzcXY5h/w640-h412/washfrank5ctFranceItaly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here is another letter mailed on April 16, 1911 from Wellesley, Massachusettes, that was initially sent to the American Express Company in Paris. This time Miss Marion Mackley was taking the European tour, but well before the events of World War I were unfolding.</p><p>In this case, the letter was forwarded from the American Express offices in Paris to their offices in Rome. Apparently, the recipient received this letter there and no further forwarding was required. Of interest is the pre-printed label that was affixed over the original address. Clearly, there was enough traffic between the Paris and Rome offices by this time that there was a real time saving in having these labels printed and available to the American Express staff.<br /></p><p>Once again, the cost to mail a letter from the United States to a Universal Postal Union (UPU) member country was five cents, which was paid by the blue stamp at the top right. The UPU was a convention for mail that dictated how mail could be exchanged between postal entities. The agreement set maximum postage rates (countries could agree to lower rates) as well as postal procedures. In the case of forwarded mail, if the letter was properly prepaid to get to its first destination, forwarding between UPU member nations would be provided for free. </p><p>This is why our first letter is a bit more difficult to decipher. It was not sent properly prepaid to the first destination. As a result, additional rules took precedence on how the deficit might be paid and what needed to happen to cover forwarding costs.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoKDgzmkMshrj6pqj1134P2MXLKQHLzRKw31k51l8cR6FgocY67aQwguz7xmEaKAEcG2U87g4nl_9FOuVGIL3MFEa7VvEPsSw81BKGXxHBbad2ghRBG3bhnGx1-oHRoUMfNNQoeBxwv3W0BQPmknuwJpaATv7buIt_lEY-rtxHlqX6Z1GzKoETU-SP2q3/s1333/AmEx1928travelbooklet.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1333" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoKDgzmkMshrj6pqj1134P2MXLKQHLzRKw31k51l8cR6FgocY67aQwguz7xmEaKAEcG2U87g4nl_9FOuVGIL3MFEa7VvEPsSw81BKGXxHBbad2ghRBG3bhnGx1-oHRoUMfNNQoeBxwv3W0BQPmknuwJpaATv7buIt_lEY-rtxHlqX6Z1GzKoETU-SP2q3/w640-h576/AmEx1928travelbooklet.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1928 AmEx Tour Book from a lot on AbeBooks, link no longer live<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>American Express was <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203130/https://secure.cmax.americanexpress.com/Internet/GlobalCareers/Staffing/Shared/Files/our_story_3.pdf" target="_blank">first established in 1850</a> as an express delivery business, specializing in carrying valuable contents for banks and other financial concerns. They found that focusing on the typically smaller, but more valuable, items was a successful business model. They launched a money order business in 1881 and then introduced traveler's cheques in 1891. These cheques came in standard denominations of $10, $20, $50 and $100.<br /></p><p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100616020709/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,866900-7,00.html" target="_blank">Time Magazine</a> (Apr 9, 1956) tells the origin story of traveler's checks. Apparently J.C. Fargo - the third president of American Express - was disgusted to find that it was not easy to acquire cash in Europe despite having letters of credit for that purpose. Upon returning, he ordered his staff to address the problem. Marcellus Flemming Berry is credited with the invention of traveler's cheques, which are still in limited use today - though more convenient money transfer methods are more common now. </p><p>The Paris office for American Express was opened in 1895 and by the time we get to the 1901, American Express was selling $6 million worth of traveler's cheques annually. By the time these letters were sent, American Express had a very strong international presence. <br /></p><p>During the summer of 1914, an estimated 150,000 American tourists were stranded as war spread throughout Europe. Our first letter recipient, Miss Jewell, may very well have been one such traveler. European banks had <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203130/https://secure.cmax.americanexpress.com/Internet/GlobalCareers/Staffing/Shared/Files/our_story_3.pdf" target="_blank">ceased to honor foreign letters of credit</a> and many travelers found their way to American Express, who facilitated many return trips to the United States. </p><b><span style="font-size: large;">The travel bug</span></b><br /><div style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">The Cunard steamer
ALAUNIA (1916) has been sunk. The crew of the steamer has been landed.
The ALAUNIA, which was built at Greenock in 1913, had a tonnage of
13,400 gross. Lloyd's Agency states that the captain and 163 of the crew
have bee landed. The passengers, about 180 in number, including a
number of women and children had been landed earlier. [Aberdeen Journal
20.10.1916; Liverpool Daily Post 20.10.1916] Read more at wrecksite: <a href="https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?2"> https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?2</a> </div><div style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">The Cunard steamer
ALAUNIA (1916) has been sunk. The crew of the steamer has been landed.
The ALAUNIA, which was built at Greenock in 1913, had a tonnage of
13,400 gross. Lloyd's Agency states that the captain and 163 of the crew
have bee landed. The passengers, about 180 in number, including a
number of women and children had been landed earlier. [Aberdeen Journal
20.10.1916; Liverpool Daily Post 20.10.1916] Read more at wrecksite: <a href="https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?2"> https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?2</a> </div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_-ZsOwsmAExsnYRbv6-AbPIsQSgexSGZo-MY41IXypZY6qf1vsgI986kUaY_JTMD37UNR9T1WyKRBFUlJXw8lz1Aa0vSLZ0pZBTHkXKx1epq4HdOlAQTaC3r4zQVHFYbbnQVquPBxEPswyVyRkArwa4jt2vPBHl_43i_T3TJreSA0w_3M6-_c5PSF_-y/s1511/washfrank2x2+1toFranceItalyEgypt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1511" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_-ZsOwsmAExsnYRbv6-AbPIsQSgexSGZo-MY41IXypZY6qf1vsgI986kUaY_JTMD37UNR9T1WyKRBFUlJXw8lz1Aa0vSLZ0pZBTHkXKx1epq4HdOlAQTaC3r4zQVHFYbbnQVquPBxEPswyVyRkArwa4jt2vPBHl_43i_T3TJreSA0w_3M6-_c5PSF_-y/w640-h450/washfrank2x2+1toFranceItalyEgypt.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Shown above is another letter sent from Oakland, California, on September 23, 1910 to Miss Alice Earl, another individual who was clearly on the move. The letter was initially mailed to Messrs Hottinguer and Company (established in 1786 and active today). Hottinguer and Company provided financial services at the time and would have honored "letters of credit" that travelers often used to access money. </p><p>Miss Earl was no longer in Paris when this letter arrived, so it was forwarded to another financial firm in Rome and forwarded yet again to and agent in Cairo, Egypt. Apparently the letter found Miss Earl there and its voyages through postal services (and financial forwarding agents) were at an end. Once again, the letter was properly prepaid to the initial destination so no additional postage was required to forward it - even if the letter took its "merry chase" to more than one location. Forwarding was free as long as each new destination was in another UPU member country.<br /></p><p>If a person were so inclined, it would not be hard to find many examples of letters from the early 1900s to single, "unattached" women traveling the world. These letters will commonly provide an example of mail forwarding and a person could reconstruct the relative popularity of various financial firms that supported travelers over that period. You could even get an idea as to which destinations or trip itineraries were in favor at the time.<br /></p><p>An <a href="https://ehne.fr/en/node/12515" target="_blank">interesting short article</a> by Nicolas Bourguinat discusses some of the trends of "feminine mobility" in the 1800s, including exercising the freedom to travel the world. Bourguinat suggests that because several female writers chronicled their travel in the mid 1800s, it became a "model of accomplishment" for other women to follow. One such example was <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/18037/18037-h/18037-h.htm" target="_blank">Ida Pfeiffer</a>, who wrote about two world tours. And another that is of particular interest to me is <a href="https://nordicwomensliterature.net/writers/bremer-fredrika/" target="_blank">Fredrika Bremer</a>, a Swede who visited the United States in 1849. Her travels in the US included visits to many Scandinavia communities in the Upper Midwest. In fact, a town in our area is named after her. </p><p>I hope you enjoyed today's virtual travel by taking a look at how mail could be forwarded from one country to another. Unfortunately, none of today's covers still have their contents. I am sure most letters provided the news from home and inquiries about what the traveler might be seeing and experiencing. </p><p>Sometimes the letters might have expressed a desire that they come home - which likely WAS the case for Miss Jewell in our first letter. News of unrest in Europe had certainly reached acquaintances and loved ones, and it was only natural that they be concerned for the traveler's safety. Without the contents, we can only imagine the words that were said and the advice given. But I am fairly certain that the letter included the words "come home."</p><p>Thank you for joining me this week. Have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-----------------------</div>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
<p></p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7629880877276001340.post-8678215520370461202023-08-27T05:30:00.603-05:002023-08-27T07:28:24.194-05:00Forward! and The Mystery of Joseph Cooper - Postal History Sunday<div class="separator"><p>Well, here you are! Viewing the 158th entry
of Postal History Sunday, a weekly blog written by me, Rob Faux, so I
can share something I enjoy - postal history. </p></div><p>It is not
required that you know much about postal history to enjoy these articles
and you are also quite welcome if you do know a lot about postal
history. My goal is to write in a way that makes the topic accessible
and enjoyable for as many people as I possibly can. I do take feedback
and I am willing to answer questions. I will even try to explain things
several different ways if my first choice of words leave you confused
or unsatisfied!</p><p>This week is actually a continuation of last week's entry titled "<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/08/forward-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">Forward!</a>"
While it is not necessary that you read that blog to understand this
one, you certainly can if you want to. Either way, take those troubles
and put them in a blender and set it on high. They won't be
recognizable when you're done with that. Grab a snack and a favorite
beverage and let's see if we can learn something new today!</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">More Forwarded Mail</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgQ2zPE_UMpt8jOPr5CXRWhrh-N5QU5YhG3SmG85NC3iD5py1puNB1hrB9ROvetwcNLapZjBwQGyOvz9Y1hcDWX_GhnnSd630OUCTYoT_ZJ4fJt3uZFIt7SrkwpXTJusSoKGMf2fxqE5pQtMsASmXXX8G10F7c4KnD0gWtV08wJh0Auvsw13XtYRZUiq0/s1341/FR112_toAustriaforwarded.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1341" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgQ2zPE_UMpt8jOPr5CXRWhrh-N5QU5YhG3SmG85NC3iD5py1puNB1hrB9ROvetwcNLapZjBwQGyOvz9Y1hcDWX_GhnnSd630OUCTYoT_ZJ4fJt3uZFIt7SrkwpXTJusSoKGMf2fxqE5pQtMsASmXXX8G10F7c4KnD0gWtV08wJh0Auvsw13XtYRZUiq0/w640-h418/FR112_toAustriaforwarded.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>As
I mentioned last week, the problem with people moving around from one
location to another is not a new problem for postal services. And, it is not
difficult to find examples of mail that was sent successfully to one
location only to find that the recipient had moved on. If there were
instructions for sending the mail to a new location, then that letter
could be <b>forwarded </b>through the postal services.</p><p>Postal historians use the general term <b>redirected mail</b>
for any postal item that had it's routing changed in the process of
getting from its origin to the eventual destination (wherever that may
be). This could include mail that was routed around a battle zone or a
natural disaster. Another example of redirected mail would be a letter
that was delivered to the wrong address by the postal service and they
had to work to remedy that problem by taking it to the correct location.</p><p><b>Forwarded mail</b>
is a special case of redirected mail. To qualify, the item had to be
delivered to the correct post office for the address, only to find that
the recipient was not there. At that point, the options are limited by
whether a new address is known. If it is not, that brings us to other
topics, like <b>returned mail</b> or <b>dead letter mail</b>. But when a location is known and the item is forwarded, there are three different ways I classify them:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The letter is forwarded and the extra postage is paid once it gets to the recipient</li><li>The cost of forwarding is already paid and the letter is sent to the new location without postage due.</li><li>The postal service offers free forwarding services, so no additional postage was needed.</li></ol><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Postage due on delivery </span></b><br /></p><p>Our first item illustrates a case where the letter was forwarded to a new location and the postage was due upon delivery. </p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="626" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmlcJGtMg0mmfY4u9pCEGVlcoQRwXBNOepl76jbtvIIe_V0QTrln1vU8_j8hvyPwpWjM-VXCD2lPm9ORc1UV7KR53t4BGsow02A1VC_-5nmtXjOEJraUmJ_CFaLaisii8jYo9pPaKQyrUbXQp9PS5EEdTz5FUwzUoL_ScOZtzCZScA-fSbA/w640-h512/partialslide.PNG" width="640" /></p>This
cover was mailed
in the mid-1860s from France to Austria. The postage rate was 60
centimes, which is properly paid by the postage stamps. All of the
markings for a typical, paid letter from France to Austria can be found
on this letter. But, this letter was forwarded to a new location and
Austria wanted that postage to be paid. So, they placed a "5" on the
envelope which indicated that 5 kreuzers were due from the recipient
once the letter caught up with them.<p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">No postage for local forwarding</span></b></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2GRvw8SAh1XTrcFBelXGn2N-lrgM2uK3zUDai-xKH6vX37kelaUoMZz0sRL7D0Ft55SVLZPd7J-dkaQ9J3eQoEtZqSqGIv0dQTRazG3fmDtWSHWiM0_NtRw1zIU2R1XXMYqW227yn8fqCPKzGynDNQVP7JOftmyDdxqW7Qh-_XbyTg7iOQRU9hViRvmy/s1481/RinRingCover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1481" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2GRvw8SAh1XTrcFBelXGn2N-lrgM2uK3zUDai-xKH6vX37kelaUoMZz0sRL7D0Ft55SVLZPd7J-dkaQ9J3eQoEtZqSqGIv0dQTRazG3fmDtWSHWiM0_NtRw1zIU2R1XXMYqW227yn8fqCPKzGynDNQVP7JOftmyDdxqW7Qh-_XbyTg7iOQRU9hViRvmy/w640-h278/RinRingCover.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>And
here is an example where a letter was actually forwarded to a new
location but no additional postage was required. In this case, the
original address (Portman Square) is served by the same office as the
new address (Cavendish Square) - both in London.</p><p>At the time this
letter was mailed (1867), the British Post did require additional
postage for forwarding if the new address was serviced by a different
post office. The marking just under and to the left of the postage
stamp that is shaped like a ring (with an "R" inside) was an indicator
that the letter was redirected for free.</p><p>If you'd like to see more
about this item and see other items that did require postage, you might
enjoy the Postal History Sunday titled <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2022/02/with-this-ring-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">With This Ring</a>.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Free forwarding of the mail</span></b></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSqAAOUwHl0QVhwSlVvjRbLZdMpxlpyQet3XPXW3qyYmLNVyunSynY-ouh6lK3jqtkUgLoolsX99aQX7bsnIX-TmNXdWcR3Z8e35RYkcyAqDKInGcN40MoKrOP6gaIlHslfy08_-lDrVXR0lJLx9Cpw44LQbfLRr7iXcUZ-oLOO6P86XIiSB6oVY8ZF2H/s2024/PuertoRico.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="2024" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSqAAOUwHl0QVhwSlVvjRbLZdMpxlpyQet3XPXW3qyYmLNVyunSynY-ouh6lK3jqtkUgLoolsX99aQX7bsnIX-TmNXdWcR3Z8e35RYkcyAqDKInGcN40MoKrOP6gaIlHslfy08_-lDrVXR0lJLx9Cpw44LQbfLRr7iXcUZ-oLOO6P86XIiSB6oVY8ZF2H/w640-h370/PuertoRico.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />Eventually,
mail forwarding became a free service in most postal systems. Shown
above is a 1935 letter that was sent from Brooklyn, New York, to a ship
due to land at San Juan, Puerto Rico. The sender was clearly aware that
the recipient might have already departed the ship by the time the
letter arrived and provided an address for forwarding. Sure enough,
Mrs. Rosemary Rabus had left the ship. The original address was crossed
out and the letter was sent to the second address provided.</p><p>The second address was the General Delivery window in the Juana Diaz
post office. Anyone could come to the post office to check if
they had mail to be picked up via General Delivery, but there was always
a danger that a person would not necessarily know to go there. In this
case, it seems that the sender and the recipient (likely related and probably married) were
both aware of the plan. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">No mystery for Lionel Sheldon</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOAl6EZL6maDmyUveRUbmjdt2Jl02wKojWQVJPaCZqR193EqStjMKwSpThoazCv8z3uFcF__lyeFX37SqoNZlYPxNF5OGyNMKUuHpIHS0ncPEmwNTcv3RCBEYoj2EExa2x3jGtHfs2n5-IpQRUYm-4RwnzoVAKBK74YnjMHn2XX_N3vunHE35D9wd_WRv/s1561/forwardingdue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1561" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOAl6EZL6maDmyUveRUbmjdt2Jl02wKojWQVJPaCZqR193EqStjMKwSpThoazCv8z3uFcF__lyeFX37SqoNZlYPxNF5OGyNMKUuHpIHS0ncPEmwNTcv3RCBEYoj2EExa2x3jGtHfs2n5-IpQRUYm-4RwnzoVAKBK74YnjMHn2XX_N3vunHE35D9wd_WRv/w640-h354/forwardingdue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>And now we bring back one of our covers <a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/2023/08/forward-postal-history-sunday.html" target="_blank">from last week</a>.
This was our example of a simple letter that was forwarded and the cost
of forwarding was expected to be paid at the new destination.
Initially mailed on September 4 at the Hamilton, Ohio post office, the
Cleveland post office forwarded the letter to Elyria, Ohio. The
Cleveland postal worker put a "Due 3" marking on the envelope to make it
clear to the postmaster there that three cents in postage were to be
collected on delivery.</p><p>I ran out of time last week to share a
bit of the social history that surrounds this particular item. The
letter is addressed to a "Mrs. Col. Lionel Sheldon," and it was sent
care of "Horace Kelley, Esq." Pencil markings show that the letter was
forwarded to Elyria, care of "I.L. Cole."</p><p>The "Mrs. Col." was the
spouse of Lionel Sheldon. Formerly Mary Greene Miles, she had married
Sheldon in 1858 at the age of 17. Her father was a merchant in Elyria,
so it is not surprising that she might have gone there to visit. This
might have been especially true if Lionel were away due to his
involvement in the Civil War.</p><p>Unfortunately, the contents of the
letter are no longer with the envelope, so we can't confirm who the
letter was from or what it was about. Similarly, there is not much
written about Mary, though <a href="https://loraincoogs.org/WhatsNew_files/2016%20Fall.pdf" target="_blank">there is reference to </a>her
"officiating at the White House" because President Garfield's wife was
in poor health. On the other hand, a great deal can be learned about
Lionel Sheldon.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKKKTQj6gxm7-l3MEMqBjGG0c9nmtZ6XDmJuMdCIfhHdGL-8Zs6Jl685kUpP1oFsjt92cfDTKHaHQWqLr0voKDL0wOo1mBKUxY1dvNPOHmU3wZ3Oq5CJAVJHoSFlptENmmaOW7OqJnHbqFwPZQGQ3FKodsH60PuSfzNycRHOVDnGR-sui9mptIlTexirK/s1144/LionelSheldon.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1144" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKKKTQj6gxm7-l3MEMqBjGG0c9nmtZ6XDmJuMdCIfhHdGL-8Zs6Jl685kUpP1oFsjt92cfDTKHaHQWqLr0voKDL0wOo1mBKUxY1dvNPOHmU3wZ3Oq5CJAVJHoSFlptENmmaOW7OqJnHbqFwPZQGQ3FKodsH60PuSfzNycRHOVDnGR-sui9mptIlTexirK/w640-h384/LionelSheldon.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/cwpbh.00061/" target="_blank">Library of Congress</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Lionel
Allen Sheldon (1829 - 1917) was born in New York and raised on a farm
in Ohio. He attended Oberlin College and law-school, being admitted to
the bar (becoming a lawyer) in 1851 and settled in Elyria where he most
likely met Mary. In addition to being a judge of probate, he was
strongly involved in politics, supporting John C. Fremont at the
Republican convention in 1856. He was also involved in recruiting for
the Federal armed forces at the beginning of the Civil War. He had
reached the rank of colonel in 1862, commanding the 42nd Ohio infantry
(after serving as Lt. Col. under Garfield).</p><p>Sheldon was wounded in
the Battle of Port Gibson (May 1863), but he recovered to participate
in the Siege at Vicksburg (mid May to early July 1863). The conflict at
Thompson's Hill (Port Gibson) is likely where he took his wound. A
first hand account indicated that "[t]he heaviest loss by any regiment
in our brigade was in the 42d Ohio, who had about seventy killed and
wounded." (<a href="http://www.mkwe.com/ohio/pages/H016-01.htm" target="_blank">account by Cpl Theodore Wolbach</a>, May 1, 1863) </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN6ATNUiLMoSEGphd3B91TE5HFsSQ6jaj3Ul_EjfnW97TFHFCuBPOEfAl5P1uP5reGmh3Es5R5lS0e6fokIevRD9VyXjmSAUkT4C6XVuS7ldINELAxFcvoK3Vjow_KZWZojPIvSR3p5JTr1n2UXCCTk5Rsu9Qrnk5V1tj7H7BHkmnsXd25zMAXYCXtKvi/s744/thompsons-hill3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="744" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN6ATNUiLMoSEGphd3B91TE5HFsSQ6jaj3Ul_EjfnW97TFHFCuBPOEfAl5P1uP5reGmh3Es5R5lS0e6fokIevRD9VyXjmSAUkT4C6XVuS7ldINELAxFcvoK3Vjow_KZWZojPIvSR3p5JTr1n2UXCCTk5Rsu9Qrnk5V1tj7H7BHkmnsXd25zMAXYCXtKvi/w640-h440/thompsons-hill3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map found in the book <span class="em-bookcredit">The Forty-Second Ohio Infantry - A History of the Organization and Services of That Regiment in the War of the Rebellion</span>, 1876 - F. H. Mason, Cobb, Andrews & Co., Publishers and<a href="http://www.mkwe.com/ohio/pages/H016-05.htm" target="_blank"> reproduced here</a>.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>By
the time we get to 1864, Sheldon was in Louisiana where he was a
brevetted brigadier general of volunteers, supervising repairs of levees
and fort structures. He settled in New Orleans and was able to take up
his legal practice again starting at the end of 1864. It is about that
time (perhaps earlier) that we can assume Mary might have been able to
rejoin him. So, we can make a guess that this letter to Mary was sent
in 1863 or 1864, perhaps as early as 1862. However, most evidence
points to 1863.</p><p>Sheldon would serve as a US Representative in
Congress from 1869-75 for Louisiana, returning to Ohio in 1879 to help
forward James Garfield's cause to become President. In 1881, President
Garfield named Sheldon Governor of New Mexico territory.</p><p>And, as far as <a href="https://case.edu/ech/articles/k/kelley-horace" target="_blank">Horace Kelley</a>
is concerned, he too is a name we can track easily. He was a part of a
family with strong ties to early Cleveland history. He was married to
Fanny Miles, who was also from Elyria, Ohio. This gives us some of the
connections we need to understand why Mary Sheldon might have been
visiting the Kelleys - and why Horace might have been receiving mail
addressed to her. </p><p>So, did you catch the little tricky fact that
links these two men? Lionel's wife was Mary Miles. Horace's was ...
Fanny Miles. <br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Mystery of Joseph Cooper</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw5tu5cFfggoaz-a2mfCdWFael-nbYNSVntY5n_oqdT3J9jRlJW1jLw2WdD3TA8aMbxXt0WFQtqL8vCz1_Z1E9AliYe6rH73TwsOjAwc7mzI0YtnzRytgveHczLjx2wgIIrkNwd6MbaBhbF4LXfQ2YubO_HClIO3SXu2iOgTW54U3ULlfiM4mc4mqN7Yu/s1833/forwardingfree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1833" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw5tu5cFfggoaz-a2mfCdWFael-nbYNSVntY5n_oqdT3J9jRlJW1jLw2WdD3TA8aMbxXt0WFQtqL8vCz1_Z1E9AliYe6rH73TwsOjAwc7mzI0YtnzRytgveHczLjx2wgIIrkNwd6MbaBhbF4LXfQ2YubO_HClIO3SXu2iOgTW54U3ULlfiM4mc4mqN7Yu/w640-h332/forwardingfree.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>That
brings us to this folded letter that we also showed last week. This
letter was mailed in June of 1866 to Dubuque, Iowa. It was forwarded to
Washington, D.C., where Colonel H.H. Heath was then stationed. As of
July 1, 1866, forwarding of mail no longer required additional postage,
so this would have been forwarded for free anyway. But, because Heath
was in the military, this letter would have qualified for free
forwarding even before July 1.</p><p>But, while the postal history part
of this item is interesting, it's the contents of the folded letter that
grabbed my attention the most.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ed6HLFXoPSrIiftNkLrHjVPXzb5rBUfrXS6Qa73MJ1sbExxgAe32MIuFkYLQENjKdkQkJJkr_JDNdgwn01e689JAXbwBNv8qTYudvLSaht6AuVPtw8SleWkuL1C0LghXX75zDjki7-sr4vrgMEhfwqBQc_DW1dxDSPvDo8zQXH_6Qa0_qyS0EW_0tUE8/s2939/forwardingfreeletter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2939" data-original-width="2350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ed6HLFXoPSrIiftNkLrHjVPXzb5rBUfrXS6Qa73MJ1sbExxgAe32MIuFkYLQENjKdkQkJJkr_JDNdgwn01e689JAXbwBNv8qTYudvLSaht6AuVPtw8SleWkuL1C0LghXX75zDjki7-sr4vrgMEhfwqBQc_DW1dxDSPvDo8zQXH_6Qa0_qyS0EW_0tUE8/s320/forwardingfreeletter.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p></p><p>The letter is datelined June 27th, 1866 from Box 535 in Madison, Wisconsin.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Sir,</p><p><span> </span>I
take the liberty of addressing you, on behalf of Mrs. Joseph Cooper, a
highly respectable lady of this city, who is, with a family of six young
children, in great sorrow and distress.</p><p><span> </span>Her
husband, Mr. Joseph Cooper, a medical man by profession, served in the
7th Iowa Cavalry, as Veterinary Surgeon, or Medical Assistant, down to
the month of December last, since which time she has not heard from him;
and she is ignorant whether he is alive or dead.</p><p><span> </span>Mr.
[Orville] Buck, who states that he served in the same regiment, has
informed Mrs. Cooper that her husband, in a somewhat excited state, left
Fort Laramie on Christmas night last. I have therefore to request the
favor of your informing me, if in your power, whether Mr. Cooper
afterwards returned to the regiment, and whether he was duly mustered
out, or is absent without leave, and what has become of him, if you
happen to know anything of whereabouts.</p><p><span> </span>Your
early compliance with this application will be an act of real kindness
to a worthy woman and very interesting family, and will be a favor to,</p><p>Yours most respectfully, Wm Petherick, Justice of the Peace.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Now,
imagine you were Mrs. Joseph Cooper. Your husband is part of the 7th
Iowa Cavalry and you haven't heard from him for many months. Then you
hear from an individual who apparently was in the same company that your
spouse left Fort Laramie, Wyoming - at night - at a time of year when
temperatures were rarely above the freezing mark.</p><p>Yes, I think we would all have been worried.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCIM-HaT8pBb81mYV6hbDe-inic7813SXCFV7w5wZT78_RD8g8ZuwUTv0GmuNbmXYps9UppzF-CJemUH6dEj5exZWXDjcc1HUnbICV1cRh7BMZpxTvARWUqAGFjzyvh9BOSAbijN91vadloQVBF2tH2mvbsI7-e415DSSpEF4adqOAQnK2GroeVGGyEqO/s1200/bozeman2Large.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1200" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCIM-HaT8pBb81mYV6hbDe-inic7813SXCFV7w5wZT78_RD8g8ZuwUTv0GmuNbmXYps9UppzF-CJemUH6dEj5exZWXDjcc1HUnbICV1cRh7BMZpxTvARWUqAGFjzyvh9BOSAbijN91vadloQVBF2tH2mvbsI7-e415DSSpEF4adqOAQnK2GroeVGGyEqO/w640-h482/bozeman2Large.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map from <a href="https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/brief-history-bozeman-trail" target="_blank">Wyoming history</a> site.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Beginning
with the Lakota Uprising in Minnesota (1862), tensions between Native
American nations and the United States continued to increase. The
opening of the Bozeman Trail, which traveled through Nebraska and
Wyoming - taking people west to Oregon - was seen as an incursion into
prime buffalo hunting lands that had been recognized as belonging to the
Lakota. The Lakota, with their allies the Arapaho and Northern
Cheyenne stood in opposition to the development of the trail and the
establishment of forts, settlements and telegraph lines along that route.</p><p>If you <a href="https://www.fortphilkearny.com/parttwo" target="_blank">take this link</a>
to a piece written by Doug Fisk and hosted by the Fort Kearny Historic
site, you can get some of the feel for what it might have been like for
members of the 7th Iowa Cavalry. In this work, Fisk quotes Alson
Ostrander who was posted to Fort Reno as a clerk in 1866.<br /></p><p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-size: 15px;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: times new roman,times,serif;"><span class="color_11 wixui-rich-text__text"><span></span></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: times new roman,times,serif;"><span class="color_11 wixui-rich-text__text"><span> </span> “As we got farther into
the Indian country, I found that the enthusiasm for the wilds of the
West I had gained from ... dime novels gradually left me. The
zeal to be at the front to help my comrades subdue the savage
Indians ... also was greatly reduced. My
courage had largely oozed out while I listened to the blood-curdling
tales the old-timers recited.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: times new roman,times,serif;"><span class="color_11 wixui-rich-text__text">
“But I was not alone in this feeling. When we got into the
country where the Indian attacks were likely to happen any moment, I
found that every other person in the outfit, including our seasoned
scouts, was exercising all the wit and caution possible to avoid contact
with the noble red man. Instead of looking for trouble and a chance to </span></span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="font-family: times new roman,times,serif;"><span class="color_11 wixui-rich-text__text">punish
the ravaging Indians, the whole command was trying to get through
without a fight. Our little force we knew would be at a serious
disadvantage should old Red Cloud sweep down on us with his horde of
angry warriors.” </span></span></span></p></blockquote><p>The 7th Iowa Cavalry's history is <a href="http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regiment/cavalry/07th/hist.html" target="_blank">described at the IAGenWeb</a>
site and provides opportunities to get an idea of where Joseph Cooper
might have been while serving and what he might have had to deal with.
Six companies of the 7th Iowa marched from eastern Iowa to Omaha in July
of 1863 under the command of Major H.H. Heath, who is our addressee for
the folded letter as Colonel H.H. Heath. Additional companies left for
Omaha in 1864, apparently taking Joseph Cooper with them. Once at
Omaha, companies and
detachments were assigned to different posts throughout Nebraska,
Kansas, Dakota and Colorado territories, spreading just over one
thousand men over a wide area.</p><p>We find Joseph Cooper of Madison, Wisconsin, <a href="http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regiment/cavalry/07th/coF.html" target="_blank">in Company F</a>,
enlisting on January 19, 1864 and mustered just under a month later.
Joseph is listed as having been born in England and was aged 45 years at
that time. It is possible that he was conscripted rather than a
volunteer. The Enrollment Act of 1863 required every male citizen and
all immigrants who had filed for citizenship between the ages of 20 and
45 to enroll. Quotas were then assigned to each state and congressional
district. If a district was behind quota, they could fill the quota by
conscription (selecting and requiring members in the enrollment lists
to join).</p><p>Given Joseph's age and the fact that he had six small
children, I imagine that he did not volunteer for service. It is also
likely that he was not affluent enough to avail himself of the
commutation option (pay $300 and you don't have to join) and he may not
have been willing or able to find someone to take his place.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">So what did happen to Joseph Cooper?</span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVb-djJuhCde3vLLIckft8ewwj6OCfnQ18bvPPdzWsZYli-g0Qp90fhO60zOwy_2WLXRu4n1NGBQ80vGcOG_keV0VXOx_kiiQdO8le0LnxrPn4pujRL1BzmPLB6ezM-MaizcJq_NjEBnu9hXTLB7XvtKSPN9Ig3NdvVdNudviSbwMe_DxFe38JtB79N1G/s1000/fortlaramie1867.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="1000" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVb-djJuhCde3vLLIckft8ewwj6OCfnQ18bvPPdzWsZYli-g0Qp90fhO60zOwy_2WLXRu4n1NGBQ80vGcOG_keV0VXOx_kiiQdO8le0LnxrPn4pujRL1BzmPLB6ezM-MaizcJq_NjEBnu9hXTLB7XvtKSPN9Ig3NdvVdNudviSbwMe_DxFe38JtB79N1G/w640-h170/fortlaramie1867.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketch of Fort Laramie, 1867 by Anton Schoenborn in <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/57924/57924-h/57924-h.htm" target="_blank">Fort Laramie National Monument</a> by David Heib<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>And
so, we find Joseph Cooper in Fort Laramie on Christmas Day after having
served nearly two years. There had likely been a Christmas celebration
<a href="https://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-1866-at-fort-laramie.html" target="_blank">as there was in 1866</a>.
He had been away from his family for a long time, may not have
volunteered for the job in the first place, and dealt with difficult conditions regularly as
part of the 7th. And... he was looking at just over one more year before
he could go home.</p><p>Orville Buck saw Cooper leave Fort Laramie in an
"excited state." And Orville Buck did not report to Mrs. Cooper that
he witnessed Joseph's return.</p><p>Did Joseph Cooper desert his post? This<a href="http://www.armysw.com/seventhcav/7thCavalryroster.pdf" target="_blank"> roster listing</a> suggests that he did so. Dr. Terry Lindell also chimed in with this information:</p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"></span></p><blockquote>Regarding
Joseph Cooper, Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the
Rebellion, Vol. 4, p. 1283, has this entry for him in Company F, Seventh
Iowa Cavalry: "Cooper, Joseph. Age 45. Residence, Madison, Wis.,
nativity England. Enlisted Jan. 19, 1864. Mustered Feb 5, 1864.
Transferred to Company F, Seventh Cavalry Reorganized." Page 1415 lists
him in Company F, Seventh Cavalry Reorganized and adds this
information: "Deserted Dec. 26, 1865, Fort Laramie, Dak."</blockquote><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">What
is not clear at this point is whether or not Joseph Cooper was
captured, returned or died of exposure not long after leaving Fort
Laramie. It is hard to imagine a situation where he could have survived
alone in the elements for long.</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueEVbuu22gJW9My_ClfE8nXLk3r0CpLHWp032LcRsLD6554GPA1qqt-KZleQwS2tYlec4nj0OVZOnslwrUsquiBDWDuPXPi1EP3l5klW0kt0fdMhCPtYMQBSH3npzyNPkW-3XjG7cMSg2pP0CJErOn057x_k4ZEPUNAJcRXmHd2-NK08GPQ5QmU9XdCRF/s1024/josephcooper.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueEVbuu22gJW9My_ClfE8nXLk3r0CpLHWp032LcRsLD6554GPA1qqt-KZleQwS2tYlec4nj0OVZOnslwrUsquiBDWDuPXPi1EP3l5klW0kt0fdMhCPtYMQBSH3npzyNPkW-3XjG7cMSg2pP0CJErOn057x_k4ZEPUNAJcRXmHd2-NK08GPQ5QmU9XdCRF/s320/josephcooper.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">The FindAGrave website shows <a href="https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97723742/joseph-cooper" target="_blank">this entry for Joseph Cooper</a> (1818 - 1865) that seems to match, listing him as a veterinary surgeon. His wife, <a href="https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86381448/isabella-waite-cooper" target="_blank">Isabella Waite Cooper</a>
(1822 - 1909) and six children also seem to line up with the facts
provided in the folded letter that started the search for Joseph
Cooper's fate. Isabella's obituary listed on the FindAGrave site may
give us a bit more to the story.</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"></span></p><blockquote>In the passing of Mrs. Isabella Cooper, who died at her home at 1025
West Johnson street Wednesday evening, goes one of the early pioneers
and staunch women who added so much to the citizenship of Madison in
days gone by. Mrs. Cooper was born in Low Green, near Leeds, England,
in June 1822. She was married to Joseph Cooper of Skipton, England, in
1843. Mr. Cooper's profession was that of chemist and druggist. He
came to this country in 1843 buying a farm in the town of Fitchburg.
The family joined him in 1849 and they lived on this farm for several
years, then moved into Madison where they family has lived since, with
the exception of the years 1857 and 1858, which were spent on a farm in
Sauk county. There were ten children born into this home, six of whom
grew to manhood and womanhood, and three of whom survive the mother,
Mrs. Mary J. Lamont and Miss Annie Cooper who resided with the mother
and Mrs. Fernando Knight of Beloit, Kan.<br /><br />Wisconsin State Journal<br />Madison, WI<br />May 19, 1909</blockquote><p></p><p>The
existence of a grave for Joseph Cooper seems to imply that, perhaps,
his body was recovered and returned to Madison. Or, maybe, the grave
was a symbolic gesture to recognize what seemed inevitable. What does
seem clear is that Joseph Cooper never did return home.</p><p>And there
you go, that's my current best effort for solving the mystery of Joseph
Cooper. I hope you enjoyed it! Have a great remainder of your day and a
fine week to come.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-----------------------</div>Postal History
Sunday is published each week at both the <a href="http://genfaux.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Genuine Faux Farm blog</a> and the<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> GFF Postal History blog</a>. If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at<a href="https://gffpostalhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Postal%20History%20Sunday" target="_blank"> this location</a>.
<p></p>Rob Fauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03633049985565787351noreply@blogger.com0